Miles To Go
by SnooteyFalooty
Summary: POLAR. POST Departure. Liz is sick of how Max has treated her and decides to take control of her life, she finds an ally where she least expected it. FINAL CHAPTER NOW UP!
1. I Miss You So

_Disclaimer:_ I own zilch.

Spoilers: season 1-2 I guess

AN: AU FROM DEPARTURE. English is not my native language, so please excuse any grammar errors.

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__Chapter One_

_Tu me manques tellement_

_I miss you so_

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_I can't remember what I did that day, it's a complete blur. Everything leading up to that moment has been wiped from my mind, like that single second, that horrible memory, was just to big, needed too much space in my brain to let anything else in there remain. _

_Oh, I know what I did that day. I know that me and Maria visited him and that he talked to Isabel on the phone. I know that I skipped breakfast that morning and that right before Sherriff Valenti came in Michael and Max were arguing over a movie._

_I know that these things happened, but I can't visualize them. I can't go back and view events in my mind's eye. It didn't really bother me before, ofcourse I hadn't really had time to think about it, I was way too busy trying to solve his murder. But now, with Tess gone, I've had more time to think about it and I wish I did remember._

_I wish I remembered what he was wearing that day, the way he laughed with us, his nervous expression as he called Izzie. But I can't and somehow that makes the fact that he's gone even harder to deal with._

_It hurts to speak his name, hurts to even think it for that matter. Everytime I hear Maria mention him (which she does incessantly, I guess it's part of her grieving process) I feel like someone is twisting a knife in my chest and I feel like I can't breathe. I see his empty seat in AP English and it takes all of my strength to keep the tears at bay._

--

I sigh heavily as I close my journal and try to let these downer-thoughts go. He wouldn't want me to feel like this. I lean back against the tree where I'm seated and look around at the other high school kids enjoying their lunches. I don't eat with the group anymore, haven't eaten with them since the big fall out over my theories that he…that _Alex_ was killed by an alien. It's not resentment on either part, it's just that for weeks I was completely on my own. And when I finally had Maria on my side again I realised that I hadn't missed her, hadn't missed any of them really. At first I just tought it was my grief over losing him that was creating those feelings, but even when I heard that they were leaving I didn't really feel sad, I felt betrayed, yes, they were leaving the Sherriff, Kyle, Maria and me to fend for ourselves while his..._Alex' _KILLER was still out there. Oh, I'm not saying that my grief didn't play a huge part in my decision to part ways with the rest of the 'I-Know-An-Alien-Club', because it did. But it's more than that. Alex and I first met when we were still in diapers and couldn't utter a single word besides 'blah' and we were like siamese twins from that moment on, then Maria joined us in kindergarten and by the time we reached grade school our group dynamic had changed. Maria was, is and probably always will be a dramaqueen and that tends to lead to some tension between us from time to time, Alex became our buffer, the keeper of the peace, both mine and Maria's confidant, but my relationship with him always ran just a little deeper than hers, somehow just a little bit more meaningfull. But still, while we had some bumps in the road, Maria and I were very close and I'd throught that the three of us wouls stay together forever. And then he died and Maria abandoned me, her now _only _best friend and though I can't really blame her, she was grieving too, it made me see that she wasn't the friend I thought she was. After Maria, Michael and I had found the translation and the pod squad was busy dealing with their issues and Maria was back to being a wreck, I had some time to really evaluate my life and the way I had been living it and what I saw didn't make me very happy. I wasn't living my life, I was living Max Evans's, or at least the way he wanted, _needed_, me to live it. Somewhere along the way, in my infatuation and misguided loyalty that I mistook as love for the boy (and that's what he is, no matter how much he thinks otherwise) that saved my life, I lost my sense of direction and my sense of self, I transformed into what he wanted me to be because I thought I owed him that. I don't think that anymore, after the way he treated me I don't owe him anything. I want to be that girl again, I want to be the Liz Parker I knew again, that girl who I could actually respect, but it's going to take time 'cause she's damaged, she's broken by what's come to pass. I'll never be completely the same, but that's to be expected, I just lost one of the most important people in my life. But I've made my decision, I'm going to get her back, I'm not going to let anybody tell me what to do or how to live ever again. That's why I've seperated myself from my 'friends', they'd never let me change, never let me grow. I'm going to do what I want, live the way I'm going to live, because if his death has taught me anything it's that life's too short to do anything else. My musings are interrupted when a shadow falls over me, I look up to find his tall figure standing next to me, his shoulders hunched and his hands shoved deep inside his jeanspockets. He looks at me with uncertainty in his eyes, something I've never seen in him before. 'Can I join you?' he asks. And to my surprise I find myself nodding.


	2. One Fine Summer Day

_Chapter Two_

_Une Belle Journée d'été_

_One Fine Summer Day_

As he sits down beside me on the warm yellowing grass I notice the other two members of the 'Podsquad' and Maria galring at us, guess they're not over my sudden break of independence yet. Kyle's not with them, he's still at some Buddhist retreat dealing with his own Tess related issues. I turn my gaze back to Michael's face, only to find him watching me intently. I look from him back at the group, who're now sitting at a picknick table in the middle of the squad, still glaring at us, and back to his face which now showed a look of mild amusement at my apparent confusion.

"Why aren't you sitting with them?" I ask, though I think we both now what I'm really asking. _What are you doing over here with me?_

He glances at them for a second before shrugging. If he'd understood what I was really asking he doesn't let it show.

"We had a fight." He says simply, the tone of his voice clearly stating that that was all the information I was going to get about that. And so I decide to ask what I really want to know.

"Why are you sitting with me?" I still can't think of any reason.

He shrugs again. "Max has declared you persona non grata. I just figured that the best way to piss him off would be fraternizing with the enemy."

"Oh." I'm still trying to figure out what insults me more, the fact that he's just using me and my current situation with the others to get back at Max or that he just referred to me as the enemy, when he rolls his eyes at me and says:

"Relax, Parker. I just didn't want to sit with them, but I didn't want to sit alone either. You're the only person that I know that was in the vicinity on this fine summer day, hence my sitting here with you."

"You said you didn't mind." He adds after a beat.

I blink once processing what he just said and still a little dazed by the fact that Michael Guerin is sitting next to me on his own free will. I notice that he's looking at me again.

"Did you just use the phrase _this fine summer day_?" I ask him a little incredulously, never expecting him to ever utter a phrase remotely like that. I briefly wonder why I thought that, but I can't find an answer. He smiles slightly and shrugs again, that's the third time in eight minutes; I think I'm going to keep count.

We sit quietly for a while, silently eating our lunches and enjoying this 'fine summer day' as he put it, before he speaks again.

"Uhm, Liz?" At hearing him say my first name I look up, slightly worried since he never says Liz unless there's some sort of problem.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering if maybe you could explain this biology stuff to me? Max was supposed to help me, but I doubt he's going to be in a helping mood anytime in the near future." He gives a quick glance at the table where said brother is sitting before scratching his eyebrow and shifting a little uncomfortably.

"That big a fight, huh?" He just nods. "Sure, I'll help you. What are you having troubles with? And since when do you take biology?"

"I had to choose an extra class to get enough credit to graduate with you guys this year. I've been doing okay 'til now, but all this cellsplitting misotes crap is kicking my ass."

I smile slightly at his choice of words. "It's mitosis. "

At that moment the bell rings and I get up. "Why don't you bring your biologybook with you to the Crash, I'll help you after our shift."

--

"Okay, so what is it exactly that you don't get?" I can hear the exhaustion in my voice, god I want to sleep.

It's already 11.30 pm and we're just starting the tutoring. Maria didn't show up for work today, I guess she's still miffed about Michael and me hanging out earlier. Not that I really mind that she wasn't here, these days the only words she ever says to me (when she's not barking orders or trying to steal my tips.) are not so cleverly diguised insults, but with both Agnes and Daisy having the night off it was just dad, Michael and me so cleaning and closing took awhile.

"The whole chromosome dividing duplicating thing. If at first the cell has 46 of them and then spilts up, how come that both cells still have 46 chromosomes? I know math isn't my strongest suit, but 46 divided by two makes 23, even I know that."

"Well, that's because before mitosis really starts, the cell duplicates its DNA, so there are two pairs of each chromosome. The original goes to one cell, the duplicate to the other. That's why each cell still has 46 chromosomes."

He lookes at me with what I think is a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"I think I get it now. You really know this stuff." There's a note of surprise in his voice and I can't help but raise my eyebrows. Isn't it common knowledge that I'm the local geek?

"I mean Max always said you were a genius and everything, but well I always figured that he was overreacting, but he wasn't you really are that nerdy." He says with a laugh before turning back to his biologybook.

"Thanks…I guess." I'm not really sure if that was a compliment or an insult. I think, in the light of recent events, that I'm going to go with compliment.

He smiles at me, well not exactly smiles, but it isn't a smirk either and asks me another question, this time about meiosis.

It's not long before we're finished, but I'm not tired anymore. I get up from the table and walk over to the bar to make myself some coffee. I hold up the pot for him, silently asking if he wants some too. He nodds slightly, rubbing his eyes. For a moment I stand still. I hadn't expected him to want to stay. I still can't really understand why he wants to, I mean not wanting to sit alone at lunch I can understand, but it's half past twelve right now and I know how much Michael loves his sleep. So why is he still here, having coffee with me?

I hand him his coffee cup and sit back down opposite him, nursing my own. I smile slightly when he grabs the tabascobottle of the table and pours at least three spoons of that stuff into the dark liquid. It's quiet for a while. The silence isn't awkward, wasn't at lunch either, which surprised me, because Michael and I have never really been alone together.

"So, how have you been?" I look up at him, contemplating on how to answer that. _Should I lie or be honest?_

I shrug. "Fine, I guess. Well not fine, but I'm all right or at least I will be some time from now. You?"

He too shrugs. "Things have been a bit strained lately."

"How come?"

"Well, Isabel's not doing so well. She pretends she's fine, but she's still so broken up about Alex." He looks at me uncertainly after speaking his name, worry in his eyes that I know isn't just for Izzie.

I nod for him to continue after I've swallowed the pain that comes from hearing his name down. I might not hang out with them anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't care about them. If Izzie's behaviour has even Michael worried then something's wrong and I want to help.

"Max doesn't notice it, but she's different you know. She's not really Izzie, she's just a shell. I'm just worried about her, especially because when I asked her about it she just denied anything's wrong and got all huffy."

"Do you want me to try and talk to her?" I ask him, gently squeezing his hand. I can tell how scared he is and I feel my heart bleed a little for him. Where is the emotionally stunded roughmouthed alien that Maria is always on about?

"Could you?"

I nod. "Of course, though I don't know if she'll want to talk to me. My relationship with the rest of you hasn't been very good lately."

He looks at me gratefully before chuckling. "I've noticed. Why are you avoiding us again?"

"I'm not avoiding any of you, well maybe Max, but not the rest of you. I just don't feel like spending time with you anymore -"

Michael interrupts me with a: "Gee, thanks." and a scowl on his face.

"You asked. Now let me finish." I realise that maybe I'm worrying a little too much about if he'll understand. What happened to 'I'm better off alone' ? "When Alex died I was a mess, I'll admit that. Alex was like a brother to me, I loved him more than I've ever loved anybody and I would never have gone digging in his car if I didn't have some idea that something wasn't right, you people should've known that. Yet I can see how my behaviour might have come off a little desperate - "

He snorts "Morbid and derailed was more like it." I give him a silencing look.

"I didn't like it, but I could understand why you weren't exactly cheerleading for me to investigate his death. But when I had actually found enough proof to support my theory you all turned your backs on me and that hurt, Michael. You people were supposed to be my friends, be there for me through thick and thin, instead you abandoned me because you were too afraid of what it would mean if I was right about an alien had killed Alex. You avoided me for two months before finally considering what I had said, Max even went out of his way to try and stop me. I was on my own for an entire month, had to go through the pain of losing Alex without any support from anyone. I always knew that being friends with you may take its toll, and I was always willing to pay the price for whatever came on our path, but I always thought that because of me knowing your secret that the whole being-there-for-eachother-bit was a mutual thing. And as I've recently found out, it isn't. And if that's the case, then all that shit I've gone through to be with friends with you people just isn't worth it."

I expect to see some sort of hurt or angry look upon his features, instead I see understanding and acceptance.

"But you're spending time with me." He says after a while.

"Yeah well, you eventually did help me, so that redeems you a little in my book. And it's not like I'm really mad at you for what you did anymore, if you ever really need help with something then I'll help you as much as I can, but I'm not going to risk my life anymore, not for people who don't trust me and wouldn't do the same for me."

He looks at me intently. "I'd risk my life for you. And I am sorry for ignoring you like that, I neve thought that that affected you so much."

"Well it did." He nods at my answer and squeezes my hand as I bite back tears.

"So, then why are you and Maria not speaking? I mean she helped you too, plus she's your best friend."

"Exactly," I say "She's my best friend, she of all people should've been there for me or at least believed me. The fact that she didn't hurt more than all of you abandoning me. And the fact that she doesn't even think that she's done anything wrong and she still resents the fact that I was investigating his murder without her consent makes it even worse. Frankly, right now, next to Max, she's my least favourite person in the world."

He doesn't say anything to that and for the first time since he sat beside me at lunch today I can't read his expression.

"Right, not a good move to diss the girlfriend of the only person speaking to you." I comment.

He shakes his head. "No that's okay, Liz. I'm not really that happy with how Maria's been acting lately either."

When our coffees are finished I guide him to the backdoor. When he's almost near his motorcycle he turns around.

"Thanks for the help, Liz." I realize that he hasn't called me Parker once today. He regards me for a few more moments before getting on his bike.

"Is it okay if I sit with you tomorrow?" He asks me hesitantly. I nod.

He puts on his helmet and drives off.

When I'm finally lying in bed I can't help but wonder about how different he is. It's not just the changes in his behaviour, it's his whole stance. I can actually tell what he's feeling, quite well too. And he seems more comefortable in his own skin somehow, more at ease with who he is. Maybe I should ask him tomorrow, we pretty much talked about me for most of the night. I'm worried for Isabel too, I hope she'll talk to me.

No matter what, Tomorrow's going to be an interesting day.


	3. Reaching Out

**Alright here's chapter three. Sorry it took so long to get out, but school's just been crazy with finals and everything. Unfortunately, chapter four,** _Fight Or Flight,_** will take a while too, 'cause I'm going on vacation.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You people do wonders for my confidence :P**_

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_Chapter Three_

_Atteindre_

_Reaching Out_

"So is Kyle coming back anytime soon?" It's lunch again and we're sitting under the same tree as yesterday. I'm reading my book for AP English and he's doing his French homework while we talk.

"I think I heard Sherriff Valenti say something to my dad about Kyle coming home in a week or so, but I'm not really sure." I tell him. "I hope he's doing better than he was right after the whole Tess thing." I'm very proud that I can actually say her name now without sneering.

I put my book down to take a bite out of my sandwich when I notice Max and Maria across the quad glaring at us, yet again. Seriously, can't they just leave us alone and, if not, be a little more grown up about it?

I notice that Isabel is absent.

"She's been skipping classes a lot. Mainly after lunch. I have no idea where she goes, neither does Maxwell. Apparently she doesn't come home until after dinner on those days, her parents are really worried about her too from what Max told me."

I nod, my own worry increasing after hearing this news. "I'll try to talk to her as soon as I can find her." I think I have a hunch on where she is, but telling Michael that won't do any good, he'd just go and find her right away and right now I don't think that's what Izzie needs.

"Look I have some stuff to do after school, could you tell my dad I'll be a little late?" I ask as I get up to go to my next class. He nods and walks off in the opposite direction, heading for his French class.

"Later Liz."

--

The minute I walk out of the schoolbuilding I'm hit with a wave of heat and humidity, it's times like these that I really hate summer. I walk off the schoolgrounds and take a left, determined to get where I'm going as soon as possible. I slow down when I get to the gate and freeze. She's there, I was right, but suddenly I feel like I can't move. The heat is no longer bothering me as there are shivers going up and down my spine and I realize I'm trembling slightly.

I haven't been here since that day, his funeral. Alex.

Isabel is sitting on the grass in front of his grave. I don't want to go there, I'm not ready, not yet. I'm terribly afraid that if I go there now all my efforts to put myself together will have been in vain. I'm afraid I'll break all over again.

But what if I don't do this? The chance that I'll be able to talk to Izzie when she's alone won't come up again anytime soon and from what Michael told me she really needs some help. And suddenly, as if my body has already made up my mind for me, I find myself walking through the gate and towards her. She doesn't notice I'm there until I sit down beside her, a weary sigh escaping my lips.

"Hi, Liz." She doesn't look up.

"Hi." I answer before turning my gaze to his headstone. Another sigh escapes me when I read his name.

"Do you want me to leave?" She asks me tentevily, already moving to get up from the ground.

"No, that's allright. You can stay." We don't speak again for a good ten minutes. We just sit there silently under the scorching sun, both lost in our own thoughts of the boy that meant so much to both of us.

"Michael's really worried about you, you know." Her head snaps up at that, confusion as to how I would know that clear in her eyes.

"He told me." I say "Are you okay?"

I'm already hating the fact that I'm asking that question, since the answer is obvious. I look at her once more and see denial written all over her face. I guess I'll have to push, can nothing ever be easy?

"Before you say that you are I'd just like to remind you that you're skipping school to hang out with a piece of granite." It sounds harsh when I put it like this, especially to me since I know what she's going through. I understand why she would want to be here, but if someone doesn't make it clear to her that she's falling into a black hole than she'll never get better and I know that better than anyone.

She considers me for awhile and I try my best to put on my you-can-tell-me-anything face.

"I just miss him so much." She tells me after awhile.

"I know, me too." I say, so quietly that I'm surprised if she heard me. "But what you're doing isn't healthy Isabel. He wouldn't have wanted you to be like this."

She sniffles a little before speaking. "I-I know, I just can't help but think that…that…" There are tears rolling down her face now.

"That what?"

"That it was my fault." She chokes out before truly starting to cry. My heart breaks a little for her.

"It's not your fault Iz. Tess fooled us all. Even I trusted her. I mean I hated her guts with a fiery passion, but I did trust her. None of us saw this coming. If you're to blame than we all are too." I try my best to sound sincere, but I can feel my own guilt issues about his death come up again.

"But how do you know for sure?"

I take a deep breath and try to calm myself. I'm going to tell her everything. And so after a few more seconds I start. I tell her about Future Max and the end of the world. I tell her that if it wasn't for my actions Alex might still have been alive.

We're both crying by the time I'm finished and I realise that I feel a little better, relieved now that someone besides Maria knows.

"It's not your fault either Liz, like you said, none of us could have known what would happen. You tried to do the right thing, you probably saved our lives. You're not to blame either."

I nod. "I know that." I tell her. "Doesn't really help me feel less guilty though."

"Me neither." I'm surprised when she squeezes my hand.

We sit for a little while longer, until I find the heat becoming a little too much for me.

"You want to go get something to drink?" I ask.

"Yeah sure." And with that she stands up before offering a hand to help me up.

We silently walk to the Crash.

--

When I enter the Crash with Isabel in tow. Michael looks at me with so many different emotions that I'm not sure what to do, there's worry there and relief and curiosity, gratitude and, if the heat hasn't made me delusional, even some form of fondness that's directed at me.

I smile at him slightly before guiding Isabel to a booth and getting us some drinks, hoping that it reassures him somewhat. He seems to understand that he shouldn't come over, because he goes back to working the grill, though his eyes hardly ever leave Isabel.

I sit down with a smile while handing Izzie her drink. At first we talk about nothing and everything: about her parents and mine, even a little about Alex and, ofcourse, about Michael, but when the subject of school comes up she goes quiet. I'm unsure if I should ask her what's wrong, since we're not really friends, we could be I think, but we're not there yet.

Unfortunately I'm relieved from asking her as she speaks up herself.

"Hey, Liz. Do you remember that right after Alex died I wanted to go to college in San Fransisco?" I frown, Izzie had wanted to go to college?

"No, I don't. I never knew about that actually, we must've already broken all ties with eachother by then. Why?" Now I'm really curious.

"Well, actually…I sent in another application, after we knew we were here to stay for good. And I got in, and I really want to go, but Max and Michael would never let me. I mean the first time Max threatened to tell mom and dad that I was a drug addict."

I've never felt such an urge to kick a certain alien where it hurts as right now.

"What?...How dare he! I, mean...wait a minute _they_? Michael was with Max on this?" I ask incredulously. I can't believe they'd sink that low. Well, I can believe that about Max, but Michael?

Isabel shakes her head. "No he doesn't know about the whole threatening thing Max pulled, but he'd made it perfectly clear that he didn't want me to go. That's why I need a favour from you."

I nod at her to continue.

"You two seem to be friends now and I was just wondering if you could talk to him for me, maybe you can logic him into supporting me."

She looks hopeful and I nod my consent, even though I'm not completely comfortable with the fact that I'm already being dragged back into the soapopera that seems to be their lives. But for this I'm willing to. She looked so excited when she was talking about San Fransisco. I haven't seen her look that happy in quite a while and if me meddling will help keep that smile on her face, then I suppose it's worth it.

"I'll talk to him after our shift." I say.

Izzie lets out a very un-Izzie-like squeal and hugs me. We talk about the college a few minutes longer before I tell her to go home and spend some time with her parents before they have a heart attack from worrying about her.

--

"Your talk with Iz seems to have worked wonders." He says when we're finally doing our homework at a booth hours after Izzie left.

"Yeah, about that. I need to talk to you for a minute." I shut my notebook and his, turn of the music that's playing before turning to face him, my serious-face firmly in place.

That seems to make him a bit nervous.

"Isabel's going to college...in San Fransisco." I say, maybe not the best approach to use when talking to an alien with serious abandonment issues, but he needs to hear that this is not a negotiation. I've made up my mind to support her through this, Izzie's going to 'Frisco, no matter what her brothers say.

"What? She can't, we can't split up, it's way to dangerous. What if we need her, what if she needs us? What if-" I put my hand over his mouth to shut him up.

"She can and she is." I put my hand up to shut him up when he moves to interrupt me. "Look Michael, you guys are aliens, and yes danger will probably always be lurking around the corner somewhere if you're not careful. But we haven't had any incidents since Tess' departure, you can't keep Isabel here because there may be trouble somewhere far away in the future. She's only a planeride away if you need her, same goes for her needing you. But Michael, what Izzie needs right now is to leave Roswell. This town is smothering her Michael. More importantly, you guys are here to stay, you need to start making a life on this planet. Isabel needs a new start and she can't do that here with all these memories of Alex haunting this place." By the end of my speech I'm not sure anymore if I'm explaining Isabel's feelings or my own.

"I know it's hard to let her go, Michael, but you need to. If you don't, I'm afraid you might lose her. " I tell him softly when he doesn't say anything. "She needs you to support her in this Michael. She needs to know that you'll still be there for her. She needs you to be there when she tells Max."

At that he finally looks at me, confusion shining in his eyes. "What does Max have to do with all of this?"

I sigh and prepare myself to stop him from killing the boy once I tell him this. "Max threatened her the first time she wanted to go."

"WHAT?!" He jumps up, angry beyond anything I've ever seen him.

"Why would he do that?" He asks me as I make him sit back down.

I shrug. "Because he's a controlling little bastard with delusions of grandeur. I think, since he sees himself as king, that it's his right to rule over those he views as his 'subjects'"

Now Michael's looking at me with this strange expression on his face.

"What?" I'm starting to feel selfconsious here.

He shakes his head. "Just never thought I'd see the day that Liz Parker would diss Max Evans."

I chuckle. If the girl I was a year ago would see me today, she wouldn't either.

"Okay, back to the issue at hand." I say. "When Max finds out that Izzie's going to San Fransisco, you just know that he's going to pull the same trick as last time adn she needs you to back her up."

He nods and says he will, before getting up to leave. We both need sleep.

"Oh and Michael?" I say just before he reaches the door.

"Yeah? "

"Try to be happy for her?"

He smiles slightly. "I am, Liz. I'm just sad too." And with that he walks out.

With a sigh I take of my shoes and lean my head back against the booth I'm sitting in. It's almost eleven and I really should go to bed, but right now I'm just too tired to get up.

I stay put for at least another quarter of an hour when I hear the back door being opened.

My heart starts beating furiously as I remember that I locked it. I'm just about to run over to the counter to grab the baseball bat that's lying there when _he_ walks into the diningroom.

_Max. _


	4. Fight Or Flight

_Chapter Four_

_De Combat Ou De Fuite_

_Fight Or Flight_

--

"What are you doing here?" I'm slightly relieved that it's not a burglar, but I still can't shake that uneasy feeling I get everytime he's around. Feelings of fear, trepidation and anger that make me feel like I'm not completely in control over the situation, and that scares me. I hate myself a little for being afraid of him, hate him even more for that. The fact that the bruise he gave me when he grabbed me at school during my investigation of Alex' death didn't start to fade until a week after the incident come to my mind. I can feel my back stiffen at the sight of him standing there like he own the place.

Apparently he doesn't notice my unease, because he steps closer to me and smiles a smile that's a little too confident for my liking.

"We need to talk, Liz." He says with puppydog eyes that would've had me caving to his needs not a few months earlier. Now it just pisses me off.

"I have nothing to say to you, Max. We're closed so get out. And if you decide to force the lock again I'll call the police and have you arrested for breaking and entering." It's an empty threat. I'd never go that far. The risk of him being found out isn't worth the satisfaction of putting him in his place, but I'm hoping he'll buy it anyway.

No such luck.

He lets out an exasperated sigh. "You know we're going to have to work this out someday, Liz."

_Maybe_, I think, _but not today._

"Get out, Max." My voice sounds much steadier than I'm feeling.

He doesn't move, he just stands there with his arms crossed over his chest and a stubborn expression on his face. "Not until you talk to me."

Okay, he's really pissing me off now. Great timing he has too. Michael just left and my parents aren't here. They're on vacation in Zimbabwe, finally after years of planning. I consider my options. A physically throw him out. _No way I'll be able to do that. _B call the cops. _I'm not that mean. _C simply walk away. I'm not really happy with leaving him alone in the diner, but right now it's the best option.

_Walking away it is._

I sigh and put the bat down. "Fine." I bite out and walk past him...

...only to be yanked back painfully by the arm.

The anger in his eyes scares me almost as much as the amount of pressure on my arm. I have a feeling that if he squeezes any harder the bones'll snap right in half.

"Max, please let go of me." I'm all but begging.

"Not until you talk to me." He says again. I don't think I've ever been this terrified before in my life. I can't help whimper when he tightens his grip on my arm even more.

"Max, please! You're hurting me." I can feel tears running down my cheeks as I try to break free of his grip. Which I realise is a bad idea, since that only makes him yank me closer.

"When are you going to stop this nonsense, Liz? When are you going to stop being so damn stubborn and come back to me where you belong, huh? This game you've been playing has gone on long enough, you hear me?"

I can't believe that all this is really happening. Somehow I manage to muster up enough courage to try and break myself free with all of my remaining strenght.

"LET GO OF ME!" One of my arms is released and I take the opportunity to hit him in the face as hard as I can.

It doesn't do much good and the next thing I know is a sickening _crack! _as he throws me into the bar and the pain in my arm. I feel dizzy. A terrifying thought enters my head. _He's going to kill me. _

Before I can blink there's a bright flash of light and suddenly Max is lying unconscious in one of the booths. Michael's face swims into my vision, worry evident on his face. I want to ask him what he's doing here, but the pain in my arm is getting worse and right now I'm just want it to stop. Besides it doesn't really matter why he came back, I'm just glad he did.

"Lizzie, can you hear me? Where does it hurt?" I try to focus on his face, but everything's getting a bit fuzzy. He looks scared. I must look worse than I thought.

"M- My arm, I think it's broken and I feel diz-" I reach up with my good hand to grab my head to make the room stop spinning only to yank it back when something sticky clings to my fingers...blood.

I'm bleeding from the head...not good.

"Oh God, Liz. Look I'm going to take you to the hospital, I'll call your parents from there, alright?" Before I can answer he's already picked me up and put me in a car. _Max's Car, _I realise.

"Lizzie, I need you to stay awake alright? You might have a concussion." He says as he gets his cellphone and starts dialing. His voice sounds far away and slower than it's supposed to be. Everything's out of focus and getting darker. I'm brought back to reality by his panicked voice speaking into the phone.

"Valenti, I need you to...Kyle? What are you doing home? Nevermind, look I don't have a lot of time. Call your dad and tell him to arrest Max...He hurt Liz, I'm driving her to the hospital as we speak. Go get Izzie and meet us there alright?"

It's getting harder and harder to stay awake. My world's becoming darker and I find it hard to focus on anything besides my stinging arm and the throbbing in my skull. I have to fight down vomit when I feel blood trickling down my neck. Everything's so blurry.

I feel his hand on my cheek as he turns my head to face him. "Liz, honey, you need to hold on a little longer, okay? We're almost there."

I try to, but everything's getting dark and fuzzy and then...

...and then I can't.

--

When I open my eyes everything is suddenly too bright and I shut them again quickly. _Where the hell am I?_

"Liz?" Comes an uncertain voice. I open my eyes slightly, still getting adjusted to the bright lights. Michael's face, a worried expression on his face. And that's all it takes for it all to come back to me quite suddenly.

Crashdown. Max. Headwound. Blood. Michael. Car. And now I'm in the hospital. I _hate _hospitals.

"Hey." I say, my voice sounds croaky. I lift up my arm to wipe the sleep out of my eyes, only to notice it's in a cast. Great, so it's broken, that's going to make serving dishes a lot more complicated.

"How are you feeling?" He asks.

_My head is killing me, I'm nauseous, my arm is broken, it hurts to breathe, i feel faint and my parents are thousands of miles away._

"Crappy." I decide to stay instead. He laughs before going off to find the doctor.

And apparently conveiying the news that I'm awake to his sister, because Isabel enters my room a few seconds later, closely followed by both Valenti men and, to my surprise, Maria.

The sheriff speaks up first.

"We called your parents. Unfortunately they can't get a flight out for another nine days. They've given me the authority to sign your hospital consent forms. I've also got Max locked up back at the station under twenty-four hour surveillance to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Apparently he's been drinking, when I found him his bloodalcohol levels were twice the legal limit. He'll be sent off to county as soon as you've pressed charges."

"I-I can't do that." I say.

"WHAT?" Kyle exlaims. "Liz, the guy attacked you, put you in the hospital for christ's sake and you want to let him get away with that?!"

"No, Kyle, I don't want to let him get away with it, but I can't send him to prison."

"Why?" The older Valenti asks me. I look at Isabel, who seems to be torn between wanting Max to be punished and the love she has for her brother.

"They take blood sample's in prison." I simply say. I watch as that piece of informatio sinks in. As much as the image of Max being molested in the shower by some giant fat guy named Tiny appeals to me, I can't send him to his death. I know what happened when Pierce had gotten him in that room. Nobody deserves that.

"Just say some stranger came in through the back door, Max unlocked that, and tried to rob the place and I got in the way or something." I suggest.

The sheriff nods. "Alright, on one condition." He says as he looks at everyone in the room, lingering on Izzie. "Max will be dealt with."

"Count on it." I turn my head in the direction of the angy growl and find Michael's face.

"The doctor'll be here in a minute." He says before sitting down beside me.

--

"You'll have to stay for observation for at least another twelve hours. If you're feeling well enough we'll consider letting you go home, if there will be supervision. Headwounds are very tricky things and you took quite a blow, you've lost a significant amount of blood, we had to give you a transfusion. You also have three bruised ribs and a broken arm, movement will remain quite painful for at least a fortnight. I advise you take things slowly for at least a week or two, depending on your recovery. Because of your concussion and the amount of bloodloss I'm afraid you aren't allowed any painkillers, Miss Parker." With a nod the doctor leaves.

"Alright, so who's going to babysit me, 'cause I'm not staying here any longer than I have to." Michael chuckles and shrugs.

"I've got plenty of room, you can stay with me if you want." I can see Maria stiffen up behind him, a cold look in her eyes. I ignore it and smile at him. Happy that I won't have to stay with Kyle, he tends to turn into a mother hen whenever someone's hurt.

"And we'll al help out at the diner, that way you can rest and recover." Isabel pipes up as she grabs my uncasted hand.

It's only now that I notice that the fingers of my casted hand have been tightly curled around Michael's ever since the doctor came in. He doesn't seem to mind, so I decide not to let go.

"And I'll bring you your schoolwork every day and-" I shake my head and interupt her.

"No I'm going to school."

"But you can't, you're hu-"

"I'm a little banged up, Iz. I'm not an invalid."

Isabel is about to protest again as Maria finally says something.

"I'd take it Isabel. Just be glad she's actually letting you make her take time off work." She leaves soon after and I'm glad. I'm touched she came, maybe there's some hope for us yet, but the connection we had has gone and her presence is a painful reminder of happier days that I can't face just yet.

The sheriff's next to leave to free Max, accompanied by Isabel and Kyle who ahev figured that he'll need some supervision tonight. So now it's just me and Michael.

"Thank you for taking me to the hospital." He shrugs off my graditude. "Why'd you come back, anyway?"

He holds up his worn copy of James Joyce's _Ulysses_. "Left this in the kitchen, I could hear you scream when I parked. Good thing I'd forgotten it too, who knows what would've happened if I hadn't come along." I shiver slightly at that thought and notice him doing the same.

I look at the clock on the taupe hospital wall. _Why is it always taupe? _It's 3.15 in the morning. I know Michael has the 4-8 shift at Metachem.

"You should go, you've got work soon." I tell him, even though I don't want him to leave.

He snorts. "Yeah right, you really think I'm going to leave you here all alone after you had the magnificent idea to let Max out? You must've hit your head harder than you thought." And with that he puts his feet up on the edge of my bed and opens his book. One of his hands still tightly holding onto mine.

I smile at his sudden overprotectiveness before giving in to the blissful realms of sleep.

--

I drop onto his couch completely exhausted. After another dozen tests the doctor finally allowed me to go. I look around his apartment with interest. It's greatly improved since the last time I've been here. The ratty furniture's still the same, but somehow the room looks more homely. There are cd's scattered everywhere and most of the crummy wallpaper is covered up with posters. It may not be very trendy or neat, but it's very him.

I smile at him as he comes in carrying my bag of clothes. He drops them in the bedroom before coming to sit down next to me.

"You alright?" he asks.

I shrug before wincing, having bruised ribs sucks!

"Tired." I say. "Thanks again for letting me stay here, Michael."

"Yeah, yeah. Enough with the graditude. Oh and you're sleeping in the bed, I'm sleeping on the couch. Don't even try to argue with me, Liz." I just nod. I'm glad I'm sleeping in the bed, these ribs hurt bad enough without having them poked by couchsprings.

He orders us chinese food and tells me to pick a movie. I decide on _The Gladiator._

I smile as he hands me my carton of Kung Pao chicken with noodles and a peach Snapple.

I lie back down with a smile and snuggle into the pillows he got me from the bedroom when he noticed that sitting on the couch wasn't very comfortable. So I'm lying on the couch now, one pillow rested a my side aganst the couch, the other under my back, while my head is lying in his lap. I was kind of embaressed to ask him if i could use his leg as a headrest, but now I don't really care, for the first time in hours I'm remotely comfortable. Besides, Michael doesn't seem to think it's a big deal.

Apparently Maria does.


	5. Lines In The Sand

**Well hello again! I'm sorry this took so long to get out, but I was busy and I wasn't very happy with this chapter, it's one of those in between plotline chapters that I hadn't planned out. I kept wanting to improve it, but couldn't think of anything so I decided to just post it and not keep you waiting any longer. Though in my opinion this is not my best work, I do hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Reviewlove!**_

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_Chapter Five_

_Lignes Dans Le Sable_

_Lines In The Sand_

"What the hell is this?"

I scramble to get up as fast as I can, which with my injuries is unfortunately turtle speed. I may know that our current seating arrangement means nothing and so does Michael, but I know what this looks like. I say nothing, expecting Michael to explain, she's his girlfriend after all. But Michael doesn't answer, choosing instead to help me up. And though I appreciate the help I wish he'd just focussed on Maria, because his simple dismissal of her will certainly be enough to unleash Hurricane DeLuca at full force. My head's already pounding from the wound Max gave me and I'm pretty sure that Maria's yelling isn't going to improve it any.

"What the hell is this?" Maria all but screams again. I wince and my hand moves to grab my head unconsciously as her voice goes up another octave.

"Maria, calm down." Michael tells her steadily and I can't help but wince once more, this time from the look of unadaltered fury on his girlfriends face. _Oh boy, you're in for it now Guerin._

"Calm down? _Calm down?_ I come here to spend some quality time with _my _boyfriend only to find him curled up on the couch with someone else-" I decide to cut her off and explain, since Michael doesn't seem to think an explanation is needed. I don't really care about Maria's emotional state, but I can see where this is headed and I really don't need her blaming me for her umpteenth break-up with Michael on top of all the other angst that's going on in my life at the moment.

"Maria, there's nothing-"

"No one asked you to speak, Liz. So just shove off!" I'm taken aback by the amount of venom in her voice.

"I-I'll just go into the bedroom for a while then." I say, desperately looking for a way out of this situation. I'm more affected by it than I should be, but the yelling and that furious look in her eyes reminds me of two nights ago. I swallow harshly as I feel my entire chest constrict with panic. Suddenly I don't really want to leave the room. That will mean I'll be alone, no distractions from my less than pleasant thoughts. For a moment I'm torn between sitting back down on the couch and watching World War III erupt or locking myself in Michael's bathroom to cry. I feel weak and uncomfortable in my own skin and it's that feeling that makes me decide to leave. I can't let the trauma of recent events get the best of me. I am _not_ a damsel in distress, never have been and I refuse to be one now. Besides, in a few days I'll have to go back home to the diner and I'll be alone then, I'll just have to suck it up and get over it.

As I walk in the direction of the door Michael grabs my hand. "You don't have to go, Liz." He looks worried again. I'm starting to think that he's having some trouble leaving me alone too, but I'll talk to him about it later. If Maria hasn't eaten him alive by then, that is.

"It's okay, I'm tired anyway. I'll just go get some rest."

The second I close the door Maria restarts her screaming session. I sit down on Michael's unmade bed with a sigh, only now noticing just how exhausting today has been even if I've barely done anything. Maybe getting some rest isn't such a bad idea. Without another thought I lie down.

His pillow smells like aftershave and something I can't identify, yet is uniquely him. Somehow it's very comforting. I smile as my mind gets fuzzier with sleep. The last thing I hear is Maria's bellowing voice before I succumb to the lovely darkness of my dreams.

--

"You know, Michael I think that's enough duct tape." I say, watching him wrap the sixth layer of tape over the edge of the plastic bag that's now covering up the cast around my arm.

He doesn't answer, just looks at me with that infamous smirk across his face as he wraps the tape around my arm another three times before cutting it off.

"So uhm...did you and Maria work things out?" I ask carefully, hoping that the question won't make him go all closed off and broody on me. I've gotten quite fond of open and honest Michael.

He snorts and utters a simple: "No."

"I'm sorry, Michael." I say hoping my tone of voice will convey my feelings of guilt over his current situation. In my opinion Maria hasn't been a very good girlfriend lately and she doesn't really deserve the person Michael has become, but he does love her. I mean, he stayed on earth for her, sacrificed everything to be with her and I don't want to be the reason why his sacrifices weren't worthwile.

"I wouldn't worry to much about it, though. It's Maria, she'll come around." I say, praying to God to make that a reality.

"Maybe." He says as he puts the duct tape back into a kitchen drawer before turning back to face me. "But I'm not sure I want her to."

I frown. _What? _"What? Why?"

He lets out a tired sigh and sits back down beside me. "Cause I'm tired, Liz. I'm tired of all the drama and the yelling and the constant pressure of having to live up to expectations I can't possibly meet."

"But you love her, don't you? I mean, you stayed on earth for her. Every relationship has it's rough patches. Don't you owe it to yourself to at least try to make it work?" By the end of my little speech I can't help but hate myself a little. Why am I advocating for Maria and why do I suddenly feel a tiny bit of jealousy at the thought of them reuniting yet again? _Must be the head trauma._

He's looking at me now, a strange expression on his face. "I didn't stay here because of Maria, Liz. I stayed because of me. I mean, yeah, my feelings for Maria did help me to realise that this is home, but my decision to stay didn't have that much to do with her. I've wanted to go to Antar my entire life, because for most of it my life here rather sucked. I had this fairytale view of what home would be, the ultimate escape, and then I met you and Maria and Alex. And though I hated to admit it back then, when we- when I let you three into my life it started to get better. By the time we had to leave to go back my life had improved so much that I realised I didn't need to escape anymore. More importantly, I didn't want to."

By the time he's finished I'm speechless and for a few minutes we stay silent.

"Then why did you tell Maria that you stayed for her?" I never thought that Michael would be purposely deceitful.

"I didn't. She said that." He says as he takes a swig of his peach snapple.

"You didn't deny it either." I notice that I sound a bit more accusing than I wanted.

He simply shrugs. "Seemed easier not to." He looks down at my plastic covered arm. "You should go shower. There are towels in the cabinet under the sink." He tells me dismissively as he stands up to throw his now empty can away.

I nod, even though I know he can't see me. I'm suddenly afraid that I've angered him somehow.

"Michael?"

"Mhhhm?"

"When I get back, do you want to watch another movie with me?" He looks at me silently for a few moments, before smiling slightly.

"Sure."

--

"So, eggs or toast?" He asks me with a smile that almost breaks his face in two. For someone who doesn't believe 7.30 AM exists, he's awfully chipper this morning.

"Toast, please." He smiles at me again and I can't help but notice that it looks a little forced.

We eat our toast in silence, he's still looking up periodically to smile at me in what he must think is a reassuring manner. It isn't, it's actually quite unnerving.

"Okay, what's up." I ask, putting my toast down.

He frowns. "What do you mean? Nothing's...up." He's fidgeting now. _Oh, just give it up Guerin. We both know I'll get it out of you anyway._

"Yeah, and I'm the queen of England." I sigh. "Micheal, please just tell me."

"Well, school." He says. _Way to go Michael, nice and vague. _

"What about it?"

"You do realise that Max will be there?" He's looking worried again, like he's afraid I'll lose it if he metions his brother's name. I can't help but find it a little endearing.

I let out another sigh. "Yes. Look if he just stays far away from me, preferably for the rest of my life, I'll be fine."

"And if he doesn't?" He asks. "Isabel told me he wanted to talk to you. Apologize or something." He doesn't sound too convinced of Max' motives.

"If he doesn't, then I've got you and Kyle to beat him up for me." I smile, putting on a brave face. _It's not like I can avoid him forever._

He laughs and grabs my backpack. "Alright, let's go then."

--

"Why is everyone looking at me?" I ask as I walk through the hallway towards my locker with Michael in tow.

"The paper printed the story about the attack. You're the latest news." Michael tells me as he shoves my English literature book into my already overstuffed backpack, before continuing our journey down the hall to our AP English class. I'm glad I have my first class of the day with him there, especially since I usually sit next to Max.

I walk to my seat with my eyes focused on the floor, not wanting to see everyone gawking at me. I smile when Michael drops himself in the seat next to me and proceeds to glare at the people in front of me.

"What are you looking at?" Half the class immediately stops staring.

I'm just starting to think that maybe today won't be as bad as I thought it would be when Max walks in. I feel my breath hitch with fear. My hands are sweating and I can't help but feel unnerved as he watches me while he takes a seat at the opposite side of the room. I've never felt so keen to ditch school.

I let out a weary sigh and start to fidget in my seat when Michael grabs my hand and squeezes it.

For the rest of the hour I can feel Max' eyes boring into me.

--

We're having lunch at our usual spot beneath the old tree, the only difference between a usual day and now is that Kyle and Isabel have joined us.

"I told my parents what Max did. They wanted to thank you for not pressing charges." Isabel tells me as she follows her brother across the quad with her eyes.

Six eyes turn to her. "What? I didn't know what else to do! They needed to know so they could keep an eye on him when I wasn't around. It was the right thing to do, too." She continues. "They've forbidden Max to go near you, Liz."

I smile at her, but I can't lose that feeling of dread that keeps bubbling in my stomach each time I see him. I'm greatful for the effort, but I highly doubt that Max will abide by his parent's rules.

"So, are we going to study at the Crash later?" Michael asks as he grasps my hand again in an almost stealthy manner. _Is my dicomfort really that obvious?_

"Sure." I say and I smile at him, hoping that he knows how grateful I am that he's here.

--

The Crashdown is extremely crowded as I take my seat at one of the booths alone. Michael has a shift today, Isabel is filling in for me and Kyle is subbing for Maria, who has decided that coming in for work isn't a priority anymore.

All this noise is starting to take it's toll and doing my homework isn't really on my list of favourite thing to do today, so instead I watch my friends.

They're all taking breaks at different times to keep me company. At the moment, it's Kyle.

"So, how are you doing?" He asks as he steals some fries off my plate.

I shrug. "I'm okay. I mean, everything hurts and I'm tired a lot, but-"

"That's not what I meant, Liz." He cuts me off.

I sigh and take a sip from my banana milkshake. "I'm as good as can be expected, I guess. I don't sleep very well and everytime I see Max I'm torn between wanting to pummel him to death and hiding away in a dark corner."

He looks sympathetic and it desperately makes me want to change the subject, I'm not good at accepting sympathy.

"So, how are you doing, you know, with the whole Tess thing?" I ask. I've been worried about him these last two months that he's been away. He was in a pretty dark place right before he left.

"Okay, I suppose." He sighs. "I still have nightmares about it sometimes, but I've learned to give everything that's happened a place. I can't go back and change what happened, I'll just have to accept it."

"That's good." I say. _It's more than what I've managed._

He nods and steals another bite of my food. "So movie night at Michael's place after we've studied, tonight? We could all use some fun and relaxation after the weekend we've had."

--

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I wince as Isabel comes charging at me to yank the broom I'm holding out of my hands. It's almost eight 'o clock now and the diner is completely deserted, since we've decided to close early for movie night. We've already finished our homework, all that's left to do now is clean up, so I decided to help a little, which looking at the reprimanding look on Izzie's face seems to have been a bad idea.

"You're not allowed to do heavy work, Liz, the doctor said so. Just sit down, rest a little and then when we're done-" She trails off and her eyes focus on something behind me.

Or rather someone, I find as I turn around. _Max._

I feel my insides turn cold as the last time Max and I were in this room flashes across my mind. Isabels's reprimanding look turns to downright thunderous at the sight of her brother.

"What are you doing here? You know you're not allowed near Liz or the Crash for that matter." The high volume in which she utters that sentence causes both Michael and Kyle to come out of the kitchen.

The second they see him Kyle charges at him only to be barely held back by Isabel, while Michael comes to stand in front of me, one arm outstretched and aimed at Max, the other taking hold of my hand and tugging me behind him a bit further.

"Get out, Maxwell." He grits through clenched teeth. I swear I can feel the power building up inside him.

Max holds up his arms and takes a step back. "Nice to see you too, Michael. Thanks for the black eye, by the way." He sounds very discorded by that, as if he feels that he didn't deserve such treatment. "Look, I just want to talk to Liz.Could you three leave us alone for a second?"

"Last time you were left alone with her, you nearly killed her, you asshole. Do you really think we'd just forget about that?" Kyle asks incredilously.

"Liz?" Max raises his eyebrows, his tone of voice conveying that he's expecting me to give him what he wants. _Arrogant bastard._

"Michael told you to get out, Max." I say, coming to stand next to him, his hand still firmly holding onto mine.

"I really need to talk to you, Liz." Max presses. I look at the people around me, Michael's still got his hand aimed at Max, but Kyle has stopped struggling against Isabel, choosing instead to watch the scene unfold. I look at Michael once more, only to find him looking at me now. He shrugs at me, as if to say: _It's your call._

"Whatever you want to say to me, you can say in front of them." I say as I move even closer to Michael. He lowers the arm pointed at Max while he puts the other around my shoulders in a show of solidarity. _At least that's what I think it is._

Max looks rather annoyed, but I can't tell if it's because I don't want to be alone with him or my proximity to Michael.

"Fine." He all but growles. "I wanted to apologize to you, Liz. For everything that's happened. I got drunk and made a stupid mistake, I hope you can forgive me."

I'm stunned. "A mistake? That putting it mildly, isn't it Max? You almost killed me, you probably would've succeeded too if Michael hadn't stopped you!" Michael's hold on my shoulder becomes a little tighter.

Now Max looks put out. "I was drunk, Liz. I wasn't myself. I'm sorry for what's happened, but I can't change that it did. You can't possibly hold that against me forever." He says it so matter-of-factly, like it's no big deal, like he's talking to a child. Like he thinks I'm overreacting.

"I can and I will. Alcohol loosens your inhibitions Max, it doesn't change your personality. It was _you_ who did this to me, Max. You. And I want you to stay away from me. I want nothing more to do with you." I'd straighten my back, cross my arms and raise my chin if it didn't hurt so damn much.

"If you wanted me to leave you alone, you wouldn't have dropped the charges against me, Liz." He says petulantly as he crosses his arms, a smug smile on his face.

Right now, I've reached my boiling point. "I didn't drop the charges for you, you arrogant little weasle! I dropped them, because if I didn't you would've been exposed, which would mean that Isabel and Michael would've been in danger too. Don't flatter yourself Max, you don't mean that much to me. Now get out." With that I move to walk to the back room to grab my jacket, looking forward to leaving this place.

I stop when I see Michael raise his arm at Max once more. I turn around to see him at least three steps closer than he used to be. _The moron was actually intending to follow me._

"She told you to get out Max. I suggest you do so, unless you want me to finish what I started three nights ago." The coldness in Michael's voice leaves no doubt in anyone's mind that he's completely serious.

Max seems to consider Michael's threat for a few moments, before glaring at us all once more and walking back out the doors. We all stay completely still until he's rounded the corner and we can't see him anymore.

Kyle breaks the silence with a loud sigh. "I gotta say, ever since I've met you people I haven't had a dull day in my life." He gives a big grin as Michael gives him a shove. Isabel and I just roll our eyes at eachother, the tension in our spines disappating.

**Okay, so I've got a ridiculous amount of free periods this year, well not ridiculous, but a lot more than I need, so my next update shouldn't be that far away since I'll be writingin those hours.**


	6. Opportunities And Personal Issues

**Hey, there everyone! Here it is: chapter six! I'd just like to thank everyone who has reviewed the first five chapters. I love you people! **_

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Chapter Six

_Possibilités Et Problèmes Personnels_

_Opportunities And Personal Issues_

--

I open my eyes and look around with a yawn. Michael's asleep on the couch next to me _(he's a pretty comfy pillow, as it turns out)_, Isabel's curled up peacefully in Michael's uncomfortable comfy-chair _(he really needs some new furniture)_ and Kyle is snoring away on the floor in front of the TV. I laugh silently as I take in the room's surroundings. Movie night has wreaked havock on the place. There are empty pizza boxes on the floor, cans have fallen over and have left their sticky contents all over the side table and there's popcorn in the most unusual places, like Izzie's hair, due to our food fight last night.

I look at the alarm clock that's on the television, it's bleary green numbers telling me it's half past four, three hours before we officially have to get up and I'm already completely awake.

_What to do now? _I want to go for a walk more than anything, but I don't feel comfortable or confident enough to go by myself and taking a shower would wake everyone _(besides I can't get that stupid plastic bag taped on by myself)_. I could read something, but I'd have to turn a light on. It may not wake Isabel or Kyle, but it is bound to wake Michael, as I found out two nights ago when I'd had a nightmare and thought reading a book might be a nice distraction.

I could, however, just go inside the bedroom, shut the door and turn the light on in there, that shouldn't wake anyone and I could read in silence. _Why didn't I think of that before?_

I get up and grab my copy of _Crime and Punishment_ off of the kitchen counter and close the bedroom door as silently as I can, before turning on the lights. I wince at the sudden brightness attacking my lenses and shield my eyes with my good arm until they've become adjusted to the light. I then sit back on the bed and scoot over until I'm seated against the wall, before opening my book with a content sigh. I love reading early in the morning. As I look around the slightly moldy and cramped room I realise that for the first time in five days I actually miss my balcony. Nothing beats being curled up with a good book with the early morning air assaulting your senses and the sun slowly turning the sky pink.

I've been curled up in my little corner for almost an hour when I'm startled out of my intense concentration by the door being yanked open with excessive force. I only just manage not to let out a scream, which I suppose is a good thing, since it's only Michael.

He looks around frantically for a few moments before his eyes find me. He lets out an obvious sigh of relief.

"You okay?" I ask, raising my eyebrows when he doesn't answer straight away, instead just looking at me with a strange expression.

He visably swallows. "Y-yeah, just didn't know where you were." He says, his voice sounding a bit squeaky-er than usual.

"Well, where did you think I went? You didn't think Max had kidnapped me in the middle of the night or something, did you?" I joke, hoping it'll ease up some of the tension in his stance.

The only reply I get is a sheepish smile.

"Oh my God, you did!" I burst out laughing, only to wince and grab my ribs in an effort to ease the pain as I giggle on uncontrolaby.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up already." He scowls as he closes the door as to not wake Isabel and Kyle, but I can tell he's not really angry.

"So, what're you reading?" He asks as he sits down next to me.

"Dostoevsky." I say as I hold up the cover so he can read the title.

"Never read it." He says as he shrugs. "Is it any good?"

"I thinks so, you'd probably like it too. You can borrow it when I'm finished if you want."

"Thanks." He says as he stretches to reach his worn copy of _Ulyssees_ from his nightstand.

The next two hours are spent in companiable silence, both of us content to just read our own books.

--

It's just the two of us at luch today. Kyle has rejoined the wrestling team and has practice during lunch and Isabel has some early graduation stuff that she has to do. Not that I mind, Michael's good company as I've dicovered this past week.

"I can't believe Isabel's already leaving in three weeks." I say as I notice the blond hurrying down a corridor to get a signature from yet another one of her teachers.

Michael looks after her with sad eyes. "Yeah, me either."

"We should do something for her, before she leaves. Do something fun together, just the four of us." I propose in an attempt to get him to lighten up. He's been a bit gloomy lately, especially now that Isabel is making the final arrangements for her departure to San Fransisco. Though I suppose I can't really blame him, he and Max aren't speaking and now his only sister is leaving him behind. The three of them used to have such a strong bond _(Michael and Izzie luckily still have)_, they did everything together, but the events around Alex' death changed us all and now suddenly he's losing them both, add Michael's severe abandonment issues to that and you get a very miserable friend.

"That'd be nice." He answers me absentmindedly, his focus still on his sister as she talks to Ms. Brown, our geography teacher.

I sigh and squeeze his hand in comfort, a motion that seems to have become routine for us. "You're not losing her, Michael. She's just going to college. You'll call and visit and she'll be back every holiday."

"Maybe at first, but eventually she'll get new friends or a boyfriend and she'll spend her time with them and I'll see her less and less." He sulks.

"That's called growing up, Michael. It happens to normal brothers and sisters and maybe it'll happen to you, maybe it won't. But whatever happens you just have to remember that you are one of the most important people in her life, seeing each other a little less won't change that. You're her brother, she loves you." I finish.

He nods silently before looking at me with mock annoyance. "Why do you have to be right all the time?"

I laugh. "Well, I am the smartest student here, you know." I say in a pompous voice as I flick my hair over my shoulder.

And finally he cracks a smile.

--

I sigh and flex my hand, which is starting to ache from all the writing I've been doing. Yesterday the application forms arrived from my potential universities. I filled out Harvard's first, of course, but now that I've had some time to study some of the brochures from the other colleges, I'm starting to see that there are some amazing possibilities for me besides Harvard. Mr. Humphries, our new guidance counselor, even gave me some folders from universities abroad. It sounds very interesting, I've always wanted to go to Europe and as a bonus I'll be far away from Max.

It's a good thing I don't have to decide where I'm going to go until spring, because right now I'm at a standstill. It's a strange feeling, not knowing where I'm going to go to collge. I've wanted to go to Harvard for as long as I can remember, it's pretty much been my main goal in life and now I find that I really don't care where I'll end up as long as I get to study what I want. Although, I have to admit that the whole studying abroad thing is starting to sound more appealing by the minute.

"What're you working on?"Michael's voice interrupts my musings as he sits down on the barstool next to me.

I look in the direction of the kitchen to see that Kyle has taken over the grill. Isabel is just taking an order off of his hands as Maria, who actually showed up today, hands him a new one, but not before throwing a hateful glare our way.

"College applications." I sigh as I reach for the application to the University of Paris. I'll have to write that essay in french, but it shouldn't be a problem. _I should ask my teacher to spellcheck it for me before I send it out, though._

"Wow." He says as he filters through the large pile of folders to my left. "Harvard, Yale, Stanford…" He sums up as he slowly thumbs through them, before pulling out one in surprise.

"Wait a minute. Oxford, isn't that in England?"

"Mhmm." I answer absentmindedly as I try to remember the french word for endurance. I don't look up until he tugs the other international forms out from under my elbow. I give him a reprimanding look as I see that his actions have made me leave a large ink line all over my extra curricular activities section.

"Cambridge, London, Paris." He mumbles as he reads the covers. "You want to go study in Europe?" He doesn't sound very enthusiastic.

I try to shrug it off. "Maybe. I haven't really made up my mind yet, but it's always good to have options."

"I guess, but you're getting in to Harvard, Liz. I'm sure of it. Even if you didn't you'd get in to any of the other fancy schools you've applied to, so you don't really need the abroad ones." He's starting to sound a bit upset and I can't figure out why.

"You're probably right, but I actually kind of like the idea of going to another country and from what I've read so far both London and Paris have excellent biology departments." I say with a big smile on my face, my inner science geek positively giddy at the idea.

"That's great, Parker." He says as he throws the folders he was holding in his hand back on the counter, before walking back to the kitchen.

_He doesn't sound like he thinks it's great at all and he called me Parker. _For some reason that thought makes me a bit angry at him.

He doesn't come over to talk to me again.

--

"I don't get it, one minute we're getting along just fine and the next he gets all cold and distant on me." I tell Isabel after closing as I watch her clean the table top of booth 3. Maria left straight after closing and Kyle couldn't help clean up either, since he had wrestling practise. _And_ s_he still won't let me help her. _

Michael also left about two hours ago to start his shift at Metachem. It'll be my first night alone in the apartment and I'm trying to put it off as long as I can

She shrugs. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's Michael, he just gets like that sometimes. Frankly, I'm amazed you two have been spending so much time together without him blowing up at you yet."

I frown, somehow feeling the need to defend him against Isabel's nonchalant manner of describing Michael's behaviour and feelings. I mean, sure he's grumpy sometimes, but he doesn't ignore people or get angry at them without a proper reason. That's also the reason why his behaviour tonight bugs me so much, because I can't figure out _why_.

"He didn't _blow up _at me, Iz. He just got upset when he saw my…" I trail off, finally realizing why he acted the way he did.

"Saw your what?" She grunts as she lifts another chair onto the table, so she can mop the floors.

"Oh, nothing. Just zoned out for a moment." I say. I've come to see Isabel as a good friend, but before I tell her anything I want to talk to Michael and set things right with him. "Hey, you want some help?" I quip.

She sends me what I've come to categorize as the Alien-deathglare. "No. Sit down and relax. I'll walk you home when I'm done."

"Fine." I say as I sit down with a mock-glare. _Home. _She told me she'd walk me home. I hadn't really thought of Michael's apartment as home before, but I have to admit that I like staying there and I'm dreading coming back to my own house when my parents come home the day after tomorrow. I like being with Michael, I can be myself there, there's no need to pretend that I'm perfect with him, because he knows perfectly well that he isn't either. It's a relief from the pressure of being better than I am that I alway got from Max, Maria and even from my parents to an extent and even though I know that my moving back in with my parents won't change that about our relationship I'm sad to go.

I'm going to miss him.

--

I sigh tiredly as I flick through infomercial after infomercial on Michael's TV. Isabel walked me home almost three hours ago and I've been trying to kill time, unsuccesfully I might add, until Michael comes back from his shift. It's almost two now, so it shouldn't be much longer, but I'm exhausted and trying to stay awake is becoming harder and harder.

Just as I'm starting to nodd off to a guy praising the George Foreman grill, he walks in.

"Hey." He says a bit surprised as he sees that I'm still up.

"Hi." I answer, trying to figure out how to get him to admit what's bothering him.

"What're you still doing up?" I try not to take his grouchy demeanor personally, telling myself that it is two AM after all and Michael's been up since six. Twenty hours without sleep is enough to make anyone's temper take a plummet. I ignore the fact that I've been up just as long he has been and I still manage a civil tone.

"I was waiting for you." I simply say as I follow him into the kitchen, making sure I'm blocking his way to both the frontdoor and the bedroom. I won't stop him walking away if he doesn't want to talk to me, but I'm hoping it will discourage him to do so.

"Why?" He asks as he puts some leftover chinese in the microwave.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Mhhm, really? 'Bout what?" He asks absentmindedly as he opens to the fridge to grab a snapple. I'm starting to think that maybe I should wait until the morning to talk to him, when he's completely awake, instead of on autopilot. But then again, I might loose my nerve in those six hours, afraid that this conversation might actually cause a fight and we'll go back to not speaking. Michael's not very good at confronting his own personal issues.

"What happened tonight."

He looks up with a scowl. "Nothing happened."

"Really, so why did you avoid me all evening after we talked about my college applications?" I say as I cross my arms over my chest, the pain from my ribs is finally starting to subside a bit.

"I didn't avoid you." He says as he sits down at the kitchencounter with his carton of beef and tabasco, I'm pleased that he sounds a bit guilty.

"Yeah, right. When I came into the backroom during your second break you hid in the bathroom for the enitire time. You called me Parker!" I can't help but let some hurt filter through my voice. It shouldn't affect me so much that he used my last name, but it does. That's what he used to call me before all this stuff with Max happened, before we were this close. Him relapsing into that habit feels like a denial of whatever it is that we now share.

He doesn't answer me.

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong, or what?" I ask as I sit down opposite him.

Again he doesn't answer, he doesn't even look up from his food. It's like I'm not even there, his behaviour has my patience wearing thin.

"Fine. Then I'll tell you what's wrong." I say and I realise I sound slightly angry. "Everyone's leaving, but you."

I'm glad to see that that has caught his attention. At least he's looking at me now, even if his expression at the moment is slightly pained. I squish down the guilt I feel at putting that look on his face.

"Izzie's already leaving in a few weeks and Kyle, Maria and I will all be going to college next fall. Everyone's moving on with their lives and leaving you behind. That's it isn't it?"

He still doesn't answer me properly, but the way he's yet again avoiding eyecontact and the fact that he's finally stopped eating is affirmation enough.

I sit down next to him with a sigh, my anger subsiding just as quickly as it came on. "You don't have to stay here, you know. You're grades are good, you're graduating with the rest of us, you can go to college too."

He simply snorts at that. "Yeah right. I'm only an average student here, Liz. College is way to much to handle for me."

I inwardly sigh, trying to figure out a way to make him see beyond his minority complex. Michael may act like he's in control and nothing ever gets to him, but once you spend enough time with him you can see it's just an illusion, designed to hide his fears and insecurities. Michael's got more personal issues than the rest of the I-Know-An-Alien-Club combined. He never feels like he's good enough, not that that is so surprising. You don't walk away from 16 years of physical en verbal abuse unscathed.

"No, it's not Michael. You're a great student, you've been getting nothing but A's lately. You're English lit. grade was higher than mine!"

He averts his eyes again and shifts uncomfortably. In my mind I see a mini angel and a mini devil sitting on his shoulder, like in the chocolate commercial, the angel telling him I'm right while the devil continuously whispers words of discouragement in his ear, words he finds incredibly hard to ignore, the devil looks uncannily like Hank.

"You're on earth to stay, Michael. You've got to start making a future for yourself. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life flipping burgers at the Crash?" I ask, hoping to get through to him. I know I can't fix him, he needs to do that himself, and I'm sure that the day that he finally truly feels that he deserves something is still a long way off, but I do hope that I'll be able to help him move on with his life. He's never really had to think about his future, always planning to leave anyway, as he told me, but now he does and yet he doesn't seem to realize that he's got his whole life ahead of him.

"No." He utters in a small voice, his vision focussed on the somewhat grimy tile of the counter.

"Look, if you don't want to go to college or move away from Roswell when school's over, then don't. But if you're only staying here is because you don't think you're good enough or smart enough to succeed, then you'll only hurt yourself in the process. It's not the things we did in life that we regret the most, Michael, it's the things we didn't do." I finish.

He still doesn't say anything, but I can tell by his expression that he's trying to take in what I've been saying.

"Just think about it, okay?" I say as I place a kiss on his cheek and get up to go to the bedroom, leaving him alone with his demons.

**I'm going on a week-long schooltrip to Greece this Thursday night, and thus won't have acces to my laptop (I'm a little afraid I might go into withdrawal :S) after I return we've got to do all these assignments about it, blegh, so probably I won't be able to post chapter seven until three weeks from now when I've got fallvacation here.**


	7. Everything Changes

**Okay, so this took way longer than I had anticipated, but my grandmother died the day after I came back from my schooltrip and I wasn't in much of a writing mood after that. Then I had my examweek and on top of that I've had a little writer's block in the polar department. So sorry for the wait, hope it was worth it. Enjoy and please review!**

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_Chapter Seven_

_Tout Change_

_Everything Changes_

"Honey, would you like some hot chocolate?"

I turn my head away from my computer to see my mother hovering in the doorpost yet again. My parents got home two days ago and I've moved back into the house and out of Michael's apartment, something both parties are very glad of, I think. I however, am not. Ever since they got back my parents haven't let me get a moments peace, they just refuse to leave me alone. Now, part of me can understand that. I think I would be a little overprotective too if it was my kid that had gotten hurt, but the other part of me is just plain annoyed and dying to get out of the house. They don't let me do anything! I'm not allowed to work or go to the mall, they even had issues with me going to school. Luckily Michael's proposal to drive me pushed them over the hill, because there was no way that I was going to miss a week of school.

"No, I'm fine." I answer as I put great effort into not sounding exasperated.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Mom." I say, hoping she'll leave now. "Bye." I add, to make sure she gets the message.

She hovers for a few moments more, before closing the door behind her with a slight nod.

I try to suppress my overwhelming desire to scream into a pillow.

--

"Okay, here's my grocery list so far: strawberry ice cream, chocolate ice cream, apple pie, blueberry tarts and at least three boxes of candy bars. What am I missing? Oh, cake, we need cake!" I say as I hurry to get my pen back out of my bag to write down the newest addition to my ever growing list.

Michael looks at me with amusement as he shifts against our tree. "Did you take a bong hit before you wrote that?"

"No." I say as I roll my eyes at him. "I'm making the list for Izzie's party. Could you help me get everything tomorrow after school?"

He nods. "Sure, but Liz there's only going to be four of us there, five if the Sherriff stops by. Maria's still ignoring me so I wouldn't count on her showing up. I doubt that you'll need that much food."

I can't help but look at him incredulously. "Excuse me, but I've seen you and Kyle eat. You two could beat the fattest guy at a pie eating contest the way you have at it, if I don't get this much food there'll be nothing left for me and Iz!"

"Yeah, okay. You're probably right." He answers as he scratches his eyebrow. At least he's man enough to admit that he eats like a pig.

"Wait, you said four people."

"Yeah." He says slowly as he puts his book down. "Five if Valenti senior shows up."

"Well, shouldn't we maybe invite...Max?" I ask uncertainly. I have absolutely no desire to even lay my eyes upon the boy that put me in the hospital, let alone spend an entire evening in the same room as him, but this is Izzie's going away party and Max is her brother, he might want to say goodbye as well. He at least should be allowed to.

Apparently Michael disagrees, judging by the dark look that crosses his features. "No, why'd you want to invite him?"

"Well he is her brother, Michael, yours too. From what Izzie told me he hasn't thrown a fit when he found out she was leaving, he hasn't threatened her or anything. I just thought that maybe Izzie would like it if he was there to say goodbye to her."

Michael still doesn't look happy. "And you think that putting the two of you in a room together is a good idea?"

"Not exactly, but you guys can't cut your brother out of your lives because of me, Michael. Besides he wouldn't dare to do anything with all of you there, if he just stays on his side of the room and I stay on mine things will be fine." I tell him with a voice that sounds far more certain than I actually am.

He just shakes his head. "No, Liz. Inviting him is just a bad idea, not just because of you. I just know that if he's not under his parents scrutiny he's going to try to force Izzie to stay and he'll ruin her last night here." He says, before shaking his head once more. "No, he's the one that screwed everything up, if he wants to say goodbye to his sister he can do it at home alone, not with the rest of us."

I nod my acceptance and fidget a little with the pen that's still in my hand, before speaking. "You can't avoid him forever, you know. You'll have to talk to him eventually."

He looks at me sharply and crosses his arms over his chest, the picture of defiance. "Why?"

"He's your brother, Michael." I say as I mimic his stance. "You can't tell me that you don't miss him."

All the anger seems to leave him at this point and he rubs his face as he lets out a weary sigh. "I don't miss _him_, Liz. I just...I miss the guy he used to be."

"Yeah." I whisper as I squeeze his hand with a sad smile on my face. "Me too."

Max wasn't always this bad, I know that. He wasn't always this cold and self-involved. He didn't always treat his friends and family like subjects, like lesser beings. But everything changed when Tess came to town, Max changed and ever since then things just got from bad to worse. He wasn't a saint before she came and I'm not blaming Max' behaviour on her (she may have been a manipulative murdering bitch, but Max wasn't some ignorant little boy under her thrall, he knew perfectly well what he was doing), but he was a lot kinder before everything with Tess and Destiny and Alex happened. He cared about the people around him and had a compassion for others that seems to have faded into nothingness ever since Alex died. And I have to admit that sometimes I miss that sweet and caring boy he used to be, the boy who used to bring me chicken soup when I was sick. It's nice to know I'm not the only one.

Though I am still worried about Michael. Right now his anger towards Max is overpowering all his other emotions, but when that anger starts to dissipate, I'm not sure he'll be able to take the loss of his brother quite so cavalier as he is now.

--

"Would you just let me carry one of those bags, you stubborn idiot!" I say with frustration as I watch Michael try to haul four very heavy grocery bags to my car. When dad heard we were going shopping for Izzie's party he had the brilliant idea of letting us do his weekly shopping too. Which resulted in Michael having to carry not only the bags for Isabel's party, but also two bags full of milk cartons and soda bottles among other things.

He shakes his head as I walk up to him, holding out my good arm, so he can hang a bag on it. "No way, Liz. You're hurt."

I roll my eyes. "The doctor said I could get my cast taken off in three days, Michael. I'm fine."

"Well, then in three days you can carry a bag." He answers me with a smirk as he walks passed me to the car.

"Men." I grouch angrily as I follow him to our parking space.

--

"Toast, toast! I wanna make a toast!" Kyle hollers out over the music we were playing, spraying everyone in the vicinity with sticky crumbs as he still had a piece of cake in his mouth.

I laugh and look around the room as Kyle climbs up on the bar rather clumsily. The sheriff and my parents are sitting in a booth at the corner, watching the results of Kyle's sugar high with bemused expressions on their faces. Isabel is sitting on a stool near him, looking happier than I've seen her in a long time and Michael is sitting next to me laughing as his friend slips on a wet patch of the bar and falls off of it with a loud THUD.

Even I can't help but burst out laughing as I hear a muffled, "I'm okay, I'm okay.", coming from behind the counter.

But still I can't shake that melancholy feeling that keeps creeping up at me. A feeling that I know isn't caused by Isabel's nearing parting. I remember the last time we threw Isabel a party. It had been her eighteenth birthday and Alex had still been there. I can still see him dancing around here in that stripper-cop outfit. I take a deep breath as I fight the hot tears that spring into my eyes. It doesn't hurt as much as it used to, his absence, I don't fall apart every time I hear his name and his not on my mind twenty-four-seven anymore, but sometimes, at times like these, when it hits me that he's never going to be there anymore, things just get a little too much for me.

When I feel like I'm starting to lose the fight to keep my sudden grief hidden, I excuse myself just as Kyle is climbing back on the bar, claiming that I need to use the bathroom.

Once I've reached the backroom and have closed the door leading back into the diner I sink down on the worn leather couch and let my tears run free. I've been sitting there with my head in my hands for awhile trying to stop crying as listen to Isabel laughing while Kyle belts out a version of _Don't cry for me Argentina_, which he has changed to 'Don't cry for me Isabella' when Michael comes in.

"Liz, what's wrong?" I hurriedly wipe the tears off of my cheeks as I see his worried expression.

"Nothing, just a little tired, I guess." I say as I stand up. "We better get back, before Kyle thinks we don't appreciate his singing."

"Liz..." He says as he stops me from leaving by blocking the exit and looks at me expectantly.

I try to think of more believable excuses or any other way to get out of here, I can't have a breakdown in the middle of Isabel's going away party. This night is about her moving on with her life, not my apparent inability to do the same, but I can feel my bottom lip start to quiver and before I know what's really happening I've burst into tears yet again and Michael's hugging me.

"Shh, it's okay. Just tell me what's wrong." He whispers softly as I weep into his shirt, rubbing my back in slow circles and trying to make me feel better. Something that I greatly appreciate as I know how uncomfortable crying women make him.

"I just miss him so much." I manage to sob out as I pull away from him. "We should get back." I sniffle. "We're missing Izzie's party."

I can see he still looks worried as I dry my eyes on my sleeve.

"Are you sure? If you need a little longer, I'll tell them. They will understand, Liz."

I shake my head vehemently. "No. I'll be fine. It's better to just go have some fun and set my mind on something else."

He nods his head and holds the door open for me after I've wiped off the mascara that has leaked all over my cheeks. Kyle has apparently finished his number, because he's sitting in a booth with Isabel. The sheriff and my parents seem to have vanished.

"The adults decided to get a drink at the pub when he reached the second verse." Isabel explains with a smirk on her face.

"Are you saying that I am a horrible singer?" Kyle asks her with a gasp, putting a hand over his heart and making his best I'm insulted face.

"Of course not, Kyle." Izzie answers dryly. "You have a lovely voice." The sarcasm in her voice is unmistakable.

The slightly teary laugh I let out seems to draw her attention.

"Honey, what's wrong?" _I really wish people wouldn't ask me that all the time._ She looks so concerned, though and I instantly feel bad. This was supposed to be _her _party and now I'm stealing her thunder with all my gloominess.

"Nothing, I'm fine. I'm just having one of those days." I shrug, but Isabel seems to know what I'm talking about, because she throws her arms around me with a teary: "Oh, Liz!"

From over her shoulder I can see Kyle sitting in the booth looking utterly confused about what's happening until Michael sits down next to him, mouthing the word _Alex. _His expression turns to one of a saddened understanding as he catches my eye.

"Well, I hope I'm not interrupting all the fun."

Four sets of eyes turn towards the entrance of the Crash to see Max standing there. He looks haggard, I notice. It looks like he's given up shaving the past week, his eyes are sunken and slightly bloodshot and his shoulders are hunched. His appearance isn't very intimidating right now, yet there's something in his eyes that give me the feeling that this isn't going to be a friendly visit.

Michael and Kyle are out of their seats and next to us within a second, both of them wearing identical angry expressions on their faces.

"What are you doing here, Max? I'm pretty sure you weren't invited." Kyle growls out as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Nothing that concerns you. I need to talk to Isabel and Michael. Alone."

Both aliens look at each other uncertainly, not knowing what to do. I take hold of Michael's hand and squeeze it slightly as he catches my eye, letting him know that it's his choice. He turns his gaze back to Isabel, silently communicating with his sister, before turning to Max who is looking at us all with a hint of impatience.

"We'll tell them what you said to us anyway, so you might as well just say it in front of them." Michael tells his brother while he tightens his grip on my hand.

"Fine." Max sneers. "I got a message from Zan, I need to find another way home. You two need to come with me." When he utters the last part of that sentence a smug grin crosses his features. It's giving me chills. And why is he looking so damn smug? It's giving me the feeling that's he's enjoying making his siblings jump to his will.

"What?" I hear Isabel ask. The happiness at knowing that her nephew is still alive and the devastation that she'll have to put her life on hold for him again seem to be fighting for control over her emotions.

"Zan, I felt him. He's alright, Iz, but I can't let him grow up there. I need to go home, find him. So we need to leave now. I've got a lead on a ship."

I hold my breath and try steel myself for when they agree to leave, leaving me and Kyle behind to pick up the pieces of saying another goodbye, of dealing with another loss.

But the moment doesn't come. Instead Michael utters a simple but resolute "No."

It seems Max had not expected this kind of answer. "What do you mean, no?"

"No. I'm not going."

But Max isn't about to take no for an answer. "How can you say that, Michael? This is my son were talking about. _My son._"

"Exactly Max. _Your son_, not mine. I'm not going to give up my life just so you can chase a lead." Michael says and I can't help but be proud of him. It's about time he starts fighting for what he wants instead of always doing what's best for everyone else.

Max looks positively seething now. "Fine. It's not like you can contribute anything besides killing people anyway."

I gasp in anger at his words and I can hear both Isabel and Kyle do the same. Everyone know that Michael has severe issues in that department, no matter how much we've all told him it wasn't his fault, I don't think he'll ever truly believe that him killing Agent Pierce was self-defence.

Max turns his back on Michael with a cruel smile, holding the door open as he turns to Isabel. "He may not be related to Michael, Iz, but Zan's your nephew. You don't want anything bad to happen to him do you?" Right now I think I could kill him.

"Don't guilt trip her Max. That trick is getting old." Michael tells him coldly before turning to Isabel. "Izzie, it's your choice. Not mine and certainly not his."

"Well, Iz. What's it going to be?" Max asks, the expression on his face clearly saying that he's still expecting her to side with him.

"I-I can't Max. Michael's right, this is our home now and Zan is your son. I love you, but I can't give up my dreams for yours."

Max looks at both his siblings incredulously, before his expression quickly turns hateful. "Fine, but you do this and I'll never speak to you again, you hear me? You're dead to me!" And with that he walks out the door and to his blue Chevelle while we all watch him silently.

When his car turns around the corner and vanishes from sight, Isabel bursts out in tears.

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**The next chapter should be up a lot sooner than this one was :P. Before I'd started this story I had made an outline of chapters, one of them happens to be one that centers around an upcoming holiday. I hadn't planned it to be so, but now that I've had some delay in posting, my christmas chapter will probably be up by that time. Look how that turned out!**


	8. Merry Christmas

**Yes I'm back! And I made my deadline! Just in time for Christmas I give you the next chapter! Please review! Merry Christmas everyone!**_

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_Chapter Eight_

_Joyeux Noël_

_Merry Christmas_

It's been three weeks since Isabel left for college, three weeks since Max had disappeared. His parents are worried sick, asking Izzie, Michael, myself and even Kyle the most insane questions. They think we know where he went and that we're just refusing to tell them, but we aren't, of course we haven't told them the complete truth either. We told them that he came to the Crash to convince Iz not to leave for college and that when she refused he stormed out of the diner, which is in fact what happened, we just left out the whole I-want-you-to-come-with-me-so-I-can-find-my-alien-lovechild bussiness.

Isabel calls me at least three times a week now, just to talk about everything and nothing. I'm quite happy that we've managed to become such good friends over such a short period of time, especially now that Maria has decided that it's my fault that Michael doesn't want to get back together with her and has been ignoring me ever since. She even quit her job at the Crash in an effort to make me more upset, but to my own surprise her actions barely effect me. Ever since Tess' departure she hasn't been very reliable, bailing out of work without a word. Frankly, her quitting is quite a relief. At least now we can hire someone who actually shows up to do her job so I don't have to beg Kyle to help me with the tables when rush hour hits (not that he's such a good waiter, he ate more of the food than he delivered it).

Michael's been working more than ever, both here at the diner and at Metachem. He's working so much in fact that the only time I ever seen him outside of work anymore is at lunch, which we still have at exactly the same spot. That's one advantage to living in the desert, I suppose; you can stay outside the entire year.

"So, it's your only day off this week. We could go to the mall to buy your present for Isabel." I venture as we're finishing our sandwiches.

"Don't you have to study for that Latin test you've got tomorrow?" He asks with his mouth still full.

I shrug. "It's a translation, there's not that much that I can study for. Besides, maybe it would be easier to pick a present for your sister with some female help."

Michael is looking at me with a very suspicious expression now, his eyes narrowing before he speaks. "She already called you to tell you what she wanted me to buy for her, didn't she?"

"No." I try to say as convincing as possible, though I can feel my cheeks reddening already. "Yeah, alright, she wants the new Ryan Adams CD."

"I'm not buying her something she ordered me to, Liz."

I sigh. "Look if you want we can go get her something else she might like and if we can't find anything we can always get her the CD after all. Oh, and you can help me pick out something for Kyle, because I'm drawing a blank. How does that sound?" I ask before taking another bite out of my sandwich.

"Okay. Just promise me that you're not going to drag me into every store we walk past."

"Deal."

--

"Mom?" I yell up the stairs once I get home from school. I just had gym last period and felt that having a shower before going to the mall with Michael would be a good idea. I hadn't expected to find the Crash closed and therefore completely deserted.

"Mom, dad?" I yell again as I search our living room and kitchen.

"In here, sweetheart!" I follow my mother's voice into the bedroom, only to find her packing her suitcase.

"What's going on?" I ask wearily as I see dad's suitcase standing by the closet, already packed.

Mom sends me an apologetic smile before going back to trying to fit her entire wardrobe into one bag. "I'm sorry, honey, but your father and I are going to Texas for Christmas."

"What? Why?"

"Remember me telling you about that couple that your father and I met during our safari? Well, they've invited us over and we thought it would be fun." She says as she finally gets her suitcase closed.

"Why can't you just stay here for Christmas? Just the three of us? We hardly ever spend time together anymore."

My mother lets out an exasperated sigh. "Look, Lizzie, I know we've all been a bit busy lately, but us going to the Lawsons for Christmas is a great opportunity for us. Henry is a business consultant and he's promised to help us look into the prospect of expanding. Your father and I have been thinking about opening another Crash somewhere along the east coast."

"That's great, mom." I say, though I can't hide the disappointment in my voice.

Mom seems to notice too and a sad look crosses her features for a moment before she brightens up again. "Alright, how about this? We'll close the Crash until we get back so you can just hang out with your friends instead of having to work and we'll have some family time after we get back, I promise. Why don't you ask if you can spend Christmas at Maria's? I haven't seen you two hanging out for awhile now."

I frown. I told her Maria and I weren't friends anymore almost a month ago, but it seems my mother is obviously too busy to pay attention to what I say anymore. "Maria and I haven't talked in almost two months, mom. But that's fine, I'll go celebrate Christmas with Michael, he's on his own too." I smile, the prospect of spending Christmas with Michael instead of alone lifting my spirits a little.

My mother looks at me inquisitively for awhile before saying: "You've been spending a lot of time with him, haven't you?"

"Yeah." I say as I frown at her sudden interest in me instead of her cashmere sweater. "So? We're friends."

"Just friends?" My mother asks me in what she might think is a nonchalant tone.

"Yes. Just friends." I notice my voice sounds a little more defensive than I meant it too and it causes my mother to look at me with a look on her face that just says: _Who are you trying to convince?_

We are just friends though, Michael and I, even if half of Roswell High seems to think otherwise. I can't even blame them for assuming we are, really. We did start spending an awful lot of time together all of a sudden and we're close. Sometimes we hold hands for no reason (usually I don't even notice we're doing it until someone looks at us funny) and when he notices that I'm having a hard day he'll just hug me out of nowhere, a gesture I never would've thought Michael would ever make in public, but something I appreciate just the same. But just because we look like a couple and sometimes act a little like it too, doesn't mean that's what we are. Because we're not. There's absolutely no feelings there whatsoever, on both our parts. Absolutely none, zilch, nada, zero, nothing.

Okay, so I have to admit that sometimes I do feel just a little tingle when he hugs me and sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be more than friends, but those are just tiny moments of weakness, moments that usually occur when I'm feeling sad or lonely. And even if I wanted more (and I'm not saying that I am, because I don't, I'm actually quite enjoying being single), Michael would most definitely not feel the same way and I'm not about to ruin our friendship over something as silly as occasional tingles or butterflies.

"Look I'm going to go shower and then me and Michael are going to the mall to buy some presents for Isabel and Kyle. Are you and dad still going to be home by the time I get back?"

My mother winces. "Uhm, no Lizzie. I think not, we're leaving as soon as your dad gets back from the market, he should be coming back any minute now."

"Any minute!" I screech. "What would you have done if I'd gone shopping right after school?"

My mom has finally closed her suitcase. "We would have called before we left, honey." She tells me in that voice that tells me she thinks I'm annoying her, she gets it every once in a while, mostly when my room isn't tidy enough for her liking and I refuse to clean it up.

"You would have called?" I sound hurt, I feel hurt. "What, you would've just rang me up saying: _Hi hon, your dad and I are going to spend the holidays with people we barely know. See you in a week, there's pizza in the fridge. Bye?_"

"Damnit Liz!" She shouts angrily as she puts her suitcase down next to my father's. "We aren't leaving you to have fun somewhere else, we're going for the business. It's important!"

"And what about me, I'm your daughter, aren't I important?" I ask as I can feel tears roll down my face. I'm not sure why exactly I'm so upset, it's not like they haven't bailed out on special occasions before. I spent my twelfth birthday at Amy and Maria's because mom and dad just _had_ to go to this conference in L.A.

My mother's anger seems to deflate and she slumps her shoulders. "Of course you are honey, but right now…" She trails off.

"This is just more important." I finish with a bitter note as I hear a car honking outside. "Dad's waiting. You should go."

"I'm sorry, Lizzie." My mother says as she puts her hands on my shoulders. I fight the urge to throw them off, I try to remember that my parents aren't always like this, that they barely ever left my side with worry when I was hurt, but right now I'm too angry and hurt to be able to accept any kind of apology at the moment.

"I do promise that we'll spend more time together once we get back." She says as she picks up the suitcases and walks to the door. I stay in the bedroom, waiting to hear her open the door to the living room and walk down the stairs. Instead I her a surprised: "Oh, Michael! What are you doing here."

I follow my mother into the living room to see Michael awkwardly standing by the door that leads down to the Crash.

"Hello, Mrs. Parker. I came to pick up Liz." I look at my watch in surprise, seeing the arms spell out 4.45 PM. I got home almost twenty minutes ago, I hadn't realized that we'd been arguing for that long already.

"Yes, right. Shopping." My mother says a bit flustered, looking at him in silence for a moment afterwards as she's probably wondering how much he heard of our little screaming match, before dad honks again and she breezes past him. "Well, better be off now. Bye Liz! Merry Christmas Michael!"

We both just stand there in silence for a little while longer before I break the silence.

"So, how much did you hear?"

"Not that much. I only just came in." He says as he scuffs his shoes and scratches his eyebrow, carefully avoiding eye contact. _He really is one of the worse liar's I've ever seen._

"So basically everything then?" I ask him with a wry smile as I sit down on the couch.

"Pretty much, yeah." He says as he sits down beside me. "You okay?"

I let out a sigh. "Yeah, I guess." I rub at my eyes, which are no doubt red from crying, while I stand up again. "Do you mind waiting a bit? I haven't actually managed to get that shower with everything that-"

"Sure, Liz. I'll just channel surf for awhile." He says as he holds up the remote in demonstration.

--

"So, since I'm flying solo this Christmas, do you want to spend it together?" I ask him as I pop a fry into my mouth.

It's almost eight and we're still at the mall, at the food court to be more precise. The results of our shopping spree leaning against our chairs (4 bags each). Michael kept his word and did not buy Isabel that CD she wanted, instead he bought her this gorgeous silver bracelet that I'll think she'll love much more than a stupid CD. He even picked it out without my help, I have to admit that I'm quite impressed. I got Isabel her favorite perfume and some earrings that went well with Michael's bracelet. Michael got Kyle some violent looking videogame and picked one out for me to give Kyle as well, since I'm an Xbox dummy. I did wonder how he was able to afford it, those presents weren't exactly cheap after all, but apparently he was spending his Christmas bonuses from both the Crash and Metachem on his gifts this year. After we had managed to find gifts for our friends we split up to find gifts for each other. I got Michael some new paints and brushes along with a new copy of _Ulysses_, since his had pages literally falling out of it, and a set of DVD's with nice and violent action movies that I'd heard him talk about before. After that we met up here to get some food.

"We don't have to do anything special." I hastily add as I see Michael's apprehensive look. "We can just order Chinese food and criticize bad Christmas movies or something."

"That might be fun." He says thoughtfully. "Under one condition: there will be no playing or singing…at all."

"I promise."

"Alright then, your house or mine?" He asks as he starts stealing fries from my plate now he's finished his own.

"Do you mind staying at your house? I don't really want to be home right now."

"Sure, though I've got to warn you it's not very clean at the moment."

I simply shrug, knowing how busy he's been with work lately I'd find it a miracle if it had been clean. "That's okay."

"Okay."

--

The next day is the last day of school before Christmas holiday starts and so far the day ahs been pretty useless, most of the teachers are looking forward to the holidays as much as the students and, just like their pupils, they feel absolutely no desire to do anything that even resembles teaching on their last day. I've spent most of my morning watching the first fifty minutes of old B-movies. Usually I hate days like these, right before the holidays when you have to stay in school for eight hours even though you're not going to do anything productive, it just seems like a waste of time, but today I don't mind as much, my mind preoccupied with other things.

Michael and I are having lunch again, inside in the cantine for the first time, since it's raining. I absentmindedly shove my untouched fries across my plate, trying to ignore Michael's evermore frequent worried looks from across the table. I haven't spoken much today, my mind on different things, mostly the fight with my mother. My slightly off behaviour is the source of my friend's concern, I know. Ever since the incident with Max, no even before that, ever since I told him about how I felt during the time when I was investigating Alex' death, when I'd told him how abandoned I felt, how hurt, Michael's been a bit overprotective of me. I'm not completely sure why, guilt maybe. A part of me is annoyed at the fact that someone seems to know me so well that they can immediately tell something is wrong, it makes me feel naked and exposed, like nothing I think is private anymore, another part of me likes that there's someone who I don't have to explain every little emotion to, someone who just _knows_ how I feel. Like Alex did, and to some extent Maria.

Maria.

I've been thinking about her a lot too, these last few days. I'm not sure why, since she hasn't really been on my mind that much since our silent 'break-up' all those months ago. I heard she and Amy went to New York so that she could sing some demo for a record company. I actually felt a little sad when I heard the news from Kyle (Amy had called his father to tell him she couldn't make Christmas dinner because of it, something Kyle was all too thrilled about), I remembered that Maria and I used to make up exhuberant fantasies about what would happen if she would become a star. I can't remember the details of them, we made up so many different scenarios, but I do know that I was present in everyone of them and I realize that if Maria and I were still on good terms it would probably have been me that went to New York with her, instead of Amy. I regret what happened between us and I feel sad about it sometimes too, but even with that knowledge I'm pretty sure that I have no intention to take the first step to rekindle our friendship. I don't know why I'm suddenly contemplating all of this again. Maybe it's just the holiday season giving me a sense of nostalgia for things that weren't all that rosy then.

I'm pulled away from my thoughts by Kyle dropping himself on the seat next to me uncerimoniously.

He lets out a loud sigh. "Ah five hours down only three more to go. Sweet freedom is drawing nearer!" He says as he grins like a chesire cat.

"So what are your Christmas plans? Liz, are you and your parents doing the big Crash dinner again?" Kyle asks us cheerily as he steels some fries off of my plate. I don't mind, I'm not hungry anyway.

"No." I shake my head. "My parents decided to take a business trip, so me and Michael are just going to order some Chinese food or something."

"Bummer." He says. "Wait, aren't you having dinner with Isabel and her parents, Guerin?"

Michael snorts, a look of slight dread crossing his features. "And have to endure a night of Monopoly? I don't think so."

I chuckle slightly, having heard many a tale about the horrors of Monopoly with the Evanses.

"So the two of you are just going to order in and eat sadly in front of the TV?" Kyle asks, dragging my untouched plate in front of him after I silently gestured for him to take it, since he'd already cleared half of it by now anyway.

"Yup." Michael drawls out slowly before taking some fries from his own plate.

"No." Kyle simply says.

Michael raises his eyebrows in response. "No?"

"No." Kyle says with a growing smile. "You two are going to come and celebrate Christmas at my house. My dad has decided to cook, so after that turns into a complete disaster, like it usually does, we can order in and eat sadly in front of the TV together."

I can't help but be amused by Kyle's undetered cheery mood. It's one of the reasons I like him so much, no matter how low I feel the boy can always manage to put a smile on my face.

"So what do you say?" Kyle asks after a moment.

I look at Michael, who just shrugs, I decide to take that as a "Sure. Whatever."

I smile at Kyle. "Count us in. Under one condition though, we'll cook."

My answer is a such a bright smile that it could put a lightbulb to shame. "Great. I'll go call dad." He says as he gets up, kissing me on the cheek before darting of with a: "See you tomorrow then, 5 PM!"

Michael looks at me with a disgruntled expression.

"What?" I ask.

"We'll cook?"

I sigh. "What, you really want to risk the chance of having to eat Mr. Valenti's cooking? I've already had a hospital stay this year, I don't need another one."

"Good point."

--

"Liz, Michael, welcome! Merry Christmas, kids." Mr. Valenti greets us the next day as he lets us in. He seems in quite an exhuberent mood and sounds even more cheerful when he sees the plates of food that both Michael and I are carrying, I think he's just as relieved that he doesn't have to go anywhere near a stove as Kyle was.

"Hello Mr. Valenti. Merry Christmas to you too. You too Kyle!" I say as I walk into the kitchen to put the heavy dishes that I'm carrying down, passing Kyle, who is sagged down in front of the TV, on my way. As I start pre-heating the oven Michael comes in to put down his share of the food while Mr. Valenti joins Kyle on the couch, both of them riveted by the football match playing on the screen.

"So what do you want me to do?" Michael ask me as he rubs his hands together for good measure. I look around the tiny cramped kitchen, the food we brought is already taking up most of the counterspace and I can barely move around as it is.

"I'm fine, you just go watch the football." I say dismissively.

He looks at me for a few seconds, a smirk slowly gracing his features. "You just want me out of the way don't you?"

I smile. "Pretty much, yeah."

"Alright." He says as he turns around. "Yell if you need anything."

"I will."

--

I let out a big sigh as I drop into the couch next to Michael once I've finished with the food.

"The turkey only needs another ten minutes and then we can eat." My announcement earns me a loud 'hear, hear!' from the men, who keep their eyes glued to the screen. Growing up with my dad and Alex (he went through a football phase when we were ten because he was afraid that if he kept hanging out with only me and Maria he would turn into a girl. Luckily that didn't last very long) I've learnt not to take offence when boys ignore you for TV sports. I assume it's the same thing as girls and chocolate.

Michael puts an arm around my shoulders, his hand patting my arm as if to say 'Nice work.' Mr. Valenti looks at us in surprise, obviously not expecting us to be this close, but Kyle doesn't even blink accustumed to it by now.

I look around the room, with the exeptance of the men's undiverted attention to the match this has turned out to be quite a good Christmas. I smile as I see the bright colored lights everywhere. When half time hit the boys decided that letting me do all the work wasn't fair and dragged all the old Valenti Christmas stuff out of the garage and proceded to decorate the house to it's fullest

We all sit in silence for a few minutes, Michael, Kyle and Mr. Valenti watching the game and me just absentmindedly watching the lights. _The only thing that could make this night better is if it would snow _I think just as the doorbell rings.

We all look at each other in confusion, wondering who it is. I volunteer to go see, asking Michael if he could go shut of the oven as I get up. My mouth falls open in shock as I open the door. Izzie is standing there with a large bag in her hand, her hair soaked from the rain and her mascara running down her face, though judging from her expression that's from crying, not the rain.

"Izzie, come in. What's wrong?" I ask worriedly as I usher her inside.

She sniffles. "Max didn't come home for Christmas, not that I thought he would, but mom...she was just so depressed and then dad started questioning me about his whereabouts and he didn't believe me when I said I didn't know and we had this big fight and-" She cuts off and starts crying again, Michael's there immediately trying to comfort her.

"I just couldn't stay there and Michael had told me that you were all going to be here. I'm sorry if I ruined your evening..." She tells us, her voice higher than it normally is due to tears.

"No, it's fine Isabel." Mr. Valenti says. "We've got room enough and plenty of food two. Those two brought enough to feed a small army."

Isabel gives us a watery smile as she wipes at her eyes and cheeks, trying to wipe off the mascara stains. "Thanks Mr. Valenti." She says before holding up the large plastic bag that's in her hand. "I brought presents."

"Give them to me. I'll put them under the tree with the rest of them." Kyle says as he takes the bag from her at the same moment that I hear the microwave 'ding'.

"Well, sit down everyone. The food is ready."

Between the happy mood that seems to just come from eating and Kyle and Michael's witty banter, it's not long before Izzie has cheered up a bit. Everyone seems to be enjoying the food and I watch with a smile as Isabel chats easily with Mr. Valenti while Kyle and Michael are stuffing yams into their mouths to see who can eat the most. I feel relaxed and at ease, happy and I realize that for the first time since Alex died that I feel at home.

My parents leaving and missing out on our usual family Christmas dinner doesn't bother me so much now, because even though they're gone I'm still with family.

Because after everything we've been through together that's exactly what they are, my family.

And outside, the snow slowly begins to fall.

--

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**Phew, that was a long chapter! As I said before Merry Christmas! I don't know exactly when I'll post the next chapter since I've got make up exams to study for and two other WIP's to work on, so I doubt I'll update before the new year, so everyone happy 2009! **


	9. Black Holes And Revelations

**Yes, I'm back! Finally! Here is chapter nine. I'll try to get ten out a little sooner than this one did, but my life is a bit busy right now so no promises. Please review and enjoy the story!**_

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Chapter Nine

_Trous Noirs Et Des Révélations_

_Black Holes And Revelations_

It's been three days since Christmas and for the first time since the aliens came into my life I think I've had a completely normal vacation. No alien crisis, no lying to my parents about where I'm going (though it wouldn't matter right now anyway, seeing as they're still in Texas) and not being an emotional wreck because Max has been playing the emotional see-saw with me and best of all: not working eight hours every day. No, this holiday consists of hanging out with my friends during the day and spending time at Michael's during the evening while we usually order take out and watch a movie. Which is what we're doing at this moment, I think I'm actually starting to appreciate Braveheart.

Nothing can go wrong right now.

I'm already mentally kicking myself for thinking that, when Isabel bursts in on us. She looks tired and pale, but right now what disturbs me the most is that really freaked out look on her face that I've only ever seen when we've got a serious alien-related crisis on our hands. I can feel my happy mood deflate instantly. So much for peace and quiet.

Michael is of the sofa in an instant, his face anxious en serious and his voice strong as he asks his sister what's wrong. It amazes me sometimes just how quickly Michael can switch from being a regular teenager into full blown soldier-mode.

I strain to make out what Isabel is saying, but between the blubbering vowels she manages to put forth between alternating between crying and hyperventilating it is a bit difficult to understand what she's saying.

Michael seems to be having the same problem. "Alright Iz, just calm down. I can't understand a single word your saying." He tells her as he guides her to the couch, his worried gaze meeting my own for a moment before he focuses on her sister again.

One thing I do understand. Whatever the problem is, it's big and it's bad. I can already feel my nerves starting to go on high alert. My entire being waiting for the other shoe to drop.

--

"Wait, let me get this straight. You dad hired a private investigator to follow you?" I ask incredulously. I know the Parkers were desperate to find their son and believed Isabel knew where Max was, but to sic a detective on her seems a little extreme to me.

Isabel nods. "Yes." She says as she takes a deep breath. She's calmed down enough now to speak normally, the tears had stopped, the only trace left of them were the angry red blotches on Isabel's cheeks. "I was stopping by his office today. He wanted to have lunch with me, but his meeting with the partners ran late. I was just looking around his office a bit when I found it."

"Found what?" Michael asks as Isabel seems to be getting upset again.

"He had this board hidden behind something on the wall. It had all these pictures of me, Max and Michael, even some of Kyle and the Sherriff and you, Liz. He had all these comments written beside them, about unaccounted time where we were gone on alien business, and stuff about Tess. He's so close Michael; he's going to find out what really happened. Or the detective will catch us doing something. Michael, what do we do?" She's crying again now, so I move my arm around her shoulder in order to comfort her. Michael seems too deep in thought to notice his sister's distress.

The next twenty minutes are spent listening to Michael and Isabel come up with the craziest ideas, ranging from leaving town (which I immediately shoot down, her parents would only become more intense in their search if they did that) to mind warping her parents, an idea that makes me so uncomfortable that I can't help but say something.

"Or you could just…" I trail of as I see their intense faces staring at me. I feel a little uncomfortable suggesting this, though I've felt for sometime that it was the right thing to do. This, however, is a very touchy subject among the aliens and I fear their reaction a little.

"Or what, Liz?" Michael asks me, the look in his eyes telling me that he has a feeling that I'm about to suggest something horrible. Maybe I am.

"You could just tell them the truth."

I had expected immediate protest and yelling, especially from Michael. He may be a bit more comfortable with the idea of staying on Earth, but he is still quite paranoid about people finding out about them, not that I can blame him.

But there was no yelling, just utter silence. I watched with quiet fascination as Isabel and Michael seemed to share some silent communication, before the latter sat himself down with a sigh.

"Yeah, alright." He said reluctantly, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

Isabel looked relieved and terrified at the same time. "Thank you, Michael."

He sends her a comforting smile. "So, how are we going to do this?"

I'm lost for words when they both look at me expectantly.

--

It's two days after that conversation and my parents have come back from their trip, so my ass belongs to the food industry once more. Which isn't such a bad thing per se, but today is the day that we'd decided to tell Isabel's parents and I really wish I could be there for her until her parents come home from work at four. Especially since Michael has had to pull an extra shift at Metachem to cover for Steve, who somehow managed to catch pneumonia in the desert.

Apparently Isabel wasn't too comfortable being on her own, because not ten minutes after I start my shift, she walks into the Crash.

"Hi, Liz. How are you?" She asks me with a nervous smile as she sits down on the barstool opposite the milkshake machine, which I'm cleaning at the moment.

"I'm fine, Iz. How are you holding up?" I ask her as I automatically get a cherry coke for her, which I realize maybe isn't the best idea since she's already fidgety.

"I'm good, I'm fine. I mean everything's going to be okay, right? We planned this through, nothing can go wrong. I'll tell my parents and-" I can't help but feel sorry for the girl when her though bravado fails and her expression shows nothing but fear. "Oh, god, Liz. What if they hate me?"

"Izzie." I say as I squeeze her hand. "Your parents adore you. Yes, they may be a little shocked at first and need a little time for everything to sink in, but they'll come around. You'll always be their little girl and they'll always love you."

I'm taken by surprise when she suddenly lurches towards me and drags me halfway across the counter to hug me, a muffled "Thank you." reaching my ears.

"You're welcome." I say as she finally releases me after a minute or so. "Look, I've got to take some orders. Why don't you go into the backroom, Michael should be on break soon, so he can keep you company."

"Yes, that sounds okay. I'll just go over my notes again." She says, her nervous demeanor already rising to the surface again. I feel slightly guilty for leaving her alone to work in her state. I watch her until she disappears through the door leading into the back, before turning back to my customer with a sigh.

--

It's been ten minutes since the three of us arrived at the Evanses and so far it has been filled with idle, but tense, small talk. When we finally move out of the kitchen and into the living room, Isabel sits down on the sofa, nervously twirling her glass of water in her hands, while Michael and I sit on either side of her and her parents opposite us.

"Mom, dad." Isabel says as she put her glass down firmly on the coffee table. I'm actually amazed at how confident she sounds, though I know she's anything but. "I have something to tell you."

Before she can utter another word her parents start in on her.

"Tell us what, honey?"

"Is this about Max?"

"It's about your brother, isn't it?"

I can see Isabel tense up already.

"You know where he is, don't you?!?"

Now she's close to tears.

"You tell me at once young lady!"

"SHUT UP!" The words are out of my mouth before I even realize it. I hadn't meant to say it out load, let alone scream it, but the utter disregard for their daughter's emotional state, to gain information on their son, while Isabel has something important to tell them just hit a nerve.

"Mr. Evans." I decide to address him instead of Diane, since he's the one that's looking at me like I'm the reason their son is gone. He probably thinks I am, but I'm not, hell Max beat me into the hospital and they know that, they should know by now that Max isn't the most stable person in the world right now.

"As we've all told you a million times before, we do not know where Max is! But you know, your other child," I say as I grab Isabel's hand. "Has something very important to tell you. So why don't you just keep your mouth shut and let her tell you what she wants to say."

I can't help but feel a little proud of myself as I see Mr. Evans deflate a little.

"You're right, Liz." Diane speaks up, before turning to her daughter. "I'm sorry, honey. Please continue."

After taking a deep breath, Isabel starts.

--

We met up with Mr. Valenti and Kyle at the Crash after Isabel had explained everything to her parents. It had been quite an exhausting talk, especially the parts about Tess and Alex had been trying, but we got through it and Izzie's parents were shocked, but somewhat alright with it. Like I told Isabel, it takes awhile before you can accept such a revelation, especially since this one doesn't only change their view on their children, but also their view on the entire world. It's not every day that you find out that there are aliens among us, certainly not dangerous ones, like the skins.

Right now Isabel is talking to the Sherriff about how her parents took everything, while Michael is, much to my embarrassment, regaling the tale of my blow-up against Philip to Kyle.

I'm grateful when everyone, except Michael, decides to return home. Between working all morning and talking to Diane and Philip all afternoon I'm exhausted. Michael stays behind to have some coffee with me upstairs. We're alone, since my parents have gone to the theatre. It's become a habit of ours, hanging out late at night. Michael has to start his shift at Metachem at one, so usually I just stay up with him until he has to go before going to sleep, tonight will be no different.

"So, what do you want to watch?" I ask him as I hand him his cup of extra strong coffee.

He shrugs before taking a sip. "I don't care, really. How about we watch that one you're always on about. Fight Club, right?" He asks.

"Yeah. That's the one." I call from the kitchen, while I'm boiling the water for my tea and putting our dessert of pop tarts in the microwave. "Could you get it for me? It's on my nightstand."

He doesn't answer, but that's alright. I know by now that that means he's already doing it for me.

"Hey, Liz." His voice is soft as he enters the kitchen. "You got into Paris?" As I turn around I see my acceptance letter in his hands.

"Uhm, yeah I did." I tell him, though he already knows the answer, he's holding it.

"Are you going to go?" He asks and I have to swallow when I hear his voice crack.

I sit down on one of the dining chairs with a sigh. "I don't know yet, Michael. They've invited me to visit the school for a week two weeks from now; I've already asked time of from school. I'll probably decide when I get back. But if I like it there, then yes, I'll probably go there even if I get into Harvard or another good school here."

"Why? I thought you wanted to go to Harvard, that's been your dream for so long now." He says as he sits down next to me.

"Dreams change, Michael. Besides one of my dreams has always been to live abroad and this is my chance. That doesn't mean I'll never come back, we'll still see each other during holidays." I say as I hold his arm and put my chin on his shoulder. "Doesn't mean I won't miss you."

He finally looks at me then, a quirk of a smile on his lips. "You'd miss me?"

"Terribly so." I answer truthfully.

"Good." He says as he stands up, dragging me with him. "Now, make me appreciate a movie that has Brad Pitt in it."

The disgusted tone in his voice as he utters the words Brad Pitt are almost enough to wipe away my disappointment that he didn't say he'd miss me too.

Almost.

--

Only three days to go until I'm on a plane for Paris. School has started again and life seems to have gone back to relative normalcy (My best friends are aliens after all). Michael has actually been supportive of my going to France, though I can tell he's still not very jazzed about it, he is trying, and that's what matters. Isabel, though now back in San Francisco, was absolutely ecstatic to hear about it, however. She immediately started planning her own holiday to Paris next year to visit me.

But of course, in typical 'let's screw Liz' life over' fashion, that lovely streak of normalcy is broken yet again.

And again, by Max.

--

"I can't believe he did this!" Michael says yet again as he paces the length of the now closed diner. About an hour ago Isabel stormed in, completely hysterical, because apparently Max had been arrested in Utah for armed robbery. About fifty-five minutes ago Michael started pacing, he's starting to make me dizzy.

"How could he be so STUPID!" He says as he furiously turns around again once he reaches the doors. "Who does he think he is? Doesn't he know he's putting us all in danger if he gets exposed?"

Personally, I'm not sure Max really cares what happens to his family anymore, but I don't dare tell to him that. I'm pretty sure that thought is already spinning around in his head somewhere anyway.

"Guerin, man, sit down will you, before you wear a hole in the floor. I'm sure Liz's dad won't like you so much anymore if he has to change the linoleum because of you." Kyle speaks up from his place between Isabel and his father.

"My parents are leaving for Utah in a few hours. I'm going with them." Isabel says before turning to me guiltily. "I'm sorry, Liz, but he's still my brother."

"What, oh no Isabel, it is fine. Of course you should go. As long as you're not expecting me to go with you, we're good." I tell her reassuringly, while feeling slightly guilty myself that they're considering their actions on account of me.

Isabel turns to Michael expectantly. "Hell, no Iz. He told us we were dead to him and now we have to haul our asses all the way to Utah to make _him _feel better? I don't think so." He finishes stubbornly.

"Michael-" She starts.

"No Iz. Just...no." He tells her tiredly before heading to the backroom.

I glance at my closest friends once before getting up. "I better go talk to him." I say, before heading in the same direction Michael went.

I find him sitting on the ratty old couch, breathing heavily and with his head in his hands.

"Michael. I think that you should go." He looks up instantly.

"What? You of all people want me to do Max a favour?"

I let out a sigh as I sit down next to him. "No. You shouldn't go for Max, but I think you need to go for _you_." I continue as he looks at me with a frown of confusion. "Michael, he is your brother. You guys have been through so much together. There's a good chance Max will go to jail for this, or be on the run for the rest of his life. After this, you might not have another chance to see him. Right now you're angry, but that'll fade and I'm afraid that if you don't go now you're going to regret it later. And take it from someone who know, regret is one of the worst things to live with." A sharp pain sears my chest as Alex comes to mind.

Michael still looks slightly unconvinced and for a moment I think of telling him Isabel will need him, but I dismiss that thought. I don't like guilt-tripping him, Michael is just way too susceptible to that as Max proved time and again.

We sit in silence for a few more minutes before he lets out a weary sign. "Fine. I'll go."

--

"Hello?" I ask as I answer the phone. It's been two day since Isabel and Michael left with her parents to try to bail Max out of jail.

"Hey. You're still awake?" Michael's voice comes through the line.

"Well I wouldn't be able to answer the phone if I wasn't, would I?" I answer as I glance at my alarm clock. It reads 1:30 AM. "So, how did the trial go?"

"I can see why Mr. Evans gets paid so much. He got Max off on community service and a ban from Utah until his twenty-first birthday."

"Wow. That is impressive." I whistle. "Have you talked to him?"

"Not really. Isabel went in first, she told me they were working things out. I went in next, we made meaningless small talk for a few minutes before he asked me if you where here too. After I told him you weren't he decided I wasn't a worthy chatting partner and left for his cell." He sighs.

"I think he thinks we're together." He says before I can speak.

"Let him think what he wants." I say. "If it keeps him away from me I don't care what he thinks. Are you okay with that?"

"I don't mind. Hell, if it means he'll stay away from you then I'm all the more for it. Besides, the status of our relationship is none of his business."

"Exactly." I answer, nodding even though he can't see.

"So..." He drawls out a few moments later. "What are you doing?"

--

**Next up: Chapter Ten: Paris when it Sizzles**


	10. The Evolutionary Theory

**Okay, here's the new chapter. Sorry it took so long, but school has just been crazy and with my stepdad in the hospital for chemo, I just haven't had the time. Which is why this chapter is also a bit shorter than usual, but I hope you'll like it anyway. **_

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_Chapter Ten_

_La T__héorie De L'Evolution_

_The Evolutionary Theory_

Only one more day to go before I'm on a plane to Paris. I can't wait, I've already decided which courses I'm going to take and I've been planning which sites I'm going to visit. The Eiffel Tower, of course and I can't wait to see the Louvre. Luckily I've got tomorrow off from school to pack and get some extra sleep in, since I have to be at the airport at five A.M., which means I have to leave here at three. Michael's already agreed to drive me, since he's got the five to one shift at Metachem and he has Saturdays off. My parents did offer to drive me, but my dad has to open the Crash that day and things between my mom and I are still a bit strained, so a two hour car ride before a ten hour plane ride wasn't exactly something I looked forward to.

Unfortunately, today is still Thursday afternoon and I have to work. Not that I mind really, in a few hours Michael and Isabel will come back, bringing their wayward brother back to Roswell and, I fear, back in my life as well, so the lunch rush is a welcome distraction.

"Hello Lizzie! How's my favorite waitress doing today?" Kyle asks me as he takes a seat at the bar.

"I'm alright, I suppose, a bit worried about Max coming back. I'm glad I'm leaving for a week tomorrow." I say as I pour him a complementary milkshake, he nods his head in understanding, before raising his glass to me in thanks.

"I think we're all a bit worried about that. I kind of liked it when he wasn't here. There was certainly a lot less drama going on." He tells me before taking some notebooks out of his bag.

I frown in confusion. "Your doing your homework here? I thought you didn't like that, you said it was too noisy."

"It is, but dad's home and he's been insufferable lately. And if I have to choose between the noise of people eating or my father's ranting, the Crash will win it everyday."

"Why is he so upset, then?" I ask as I ignore my father's gestures for me to get back to work. I'm on my break and Agnes is outside smoking for the fourth time in an hour, he can go ask her.

"You know about that homicide victim those hikers found in the desert almost a week ago?" He asks before taking another sip of his strawberry milkshake.

"Yeah, they wrote a story about it in the paper."

"Well, the body was still found in Roswell jurisdiction, so my dad was heading up the investigation. Then three days ago some people from some three letter agency arrive at the station. Apparently the guy worked for some secret government operation or something and they took over the case. Dad's been trying to stay involved, you know, make sure that this hasn't got anything to do with anything _Martian_. He doesn't want another agent Pierce on his hands. But the guy heading up the investigation won't tell him anything."

"Well, I can see his frustration." I say with a sigh, an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach as I remember agent Pierce. "Is there any indication that it's got something to do with the Czechoslovakians?"

He shakes his head while he empties his glass. "No, but dad just wants to make sure, you know, especially now his Royal Stupidity is coming back."

I want to ask him something more about the case, but I'm stopped when my dad comes over telling me my break's over.

With a sigh I pick up a moderately clean towel to start wiping down the now vacant tables. "Look if it's too noisy here you could go study in my room. My mom's upstairs, but I'm sure she won't mind."

"Really? Oh that'd be great, Liz. Thanks." He says in relief as he packs up his stuff and goes upstairs.

I go back to working. Only 34 hours to go.

--

I sigh as I look at the clock on the wall. Eight P.M. Michael called about an hour ago, saying that there'd been an accident on the freeway and they'd been in traffic most of the way, but that they'd be home in about an hour and a half. It's slow right now and waiting for my friends to drop by seems to make time go more slowly than usually.

I'm just about to make a sundae for myself when a new customer walks through the doors. It's a man in his late forties, I'm guessing. His hair's mostly brown, but the sideburns are already turning gray. His smile is too wide and his teeth are too straight and too white, he's slightly overweight and wearing a suit that just screams G-man. I instantly don't like him.

"Evening, little lady." He says to me as he takes a seat at the counter. If I didn't like him before, I certainly don't like him now. _Little lady, what am I, his dog?_

But of course the customer is king, so I put on the brightest smile I can manage as I politely ask him if he wants to order anything.

"I'll have a coffee and a slice of that delicious lookin' pie, please." He says as he points to the dish that used to hold Mrs. DeLuca's famous home baked pies, but now just holds an apple crumble from the bakery down the street, since Amy is still in New York with Maria.

"Coming right up." I say as brightly as I can. For some reason this guy makes me feel uneasy. Or maybe that's just me being paranoid, maybe since we haven't had any real alien emergencies and everything seems to be going well in my life I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I hand Mr. G-Man his coffee and pie. "I haven't seen you around here before, sir. Are you just passing through?"

"Oh, no. I'm here to investigate that murder out in the desert. The man was a government official, so it's now a federal case." He says before shoving a huge piece of pie in his mouth.

"From what I've read your little town has had quite a few serious incidents these last few years." He mentions a few minutes later as I refill his coffee cup. The statement immediately makes me feel on edge. _What is he getting at?_

"I don't think so, sir. This has been the first murder I've heard about since I've lived here."

"Well there were those human remains that were found last year not far from here, they indicated that the man had been murdered." G-man says as he takes a sip of his coffee, never taking his eyes of my face, as if he's testing me to see how I'll react.

I try to keep my face as blank as possible while I answer. "Those remains proved to be centuries old."

"How do you know about that?" I feel my heartbeat increase as his voice took on a more suspicious tone.

I shrug. "They examined the remains in Las Cruces, not far from here. We don't really get a lot of big stories in our town, so the local paper had a field day with this." I feel myself relax as he seems to buy my story.

"And there was a shoot-out right here in this place sometime before that, wasn't there?"

I nod. "Yes, but nobody was hurt."

"Right, what about that car crash not long ago. I heard some kid died."

I stiffen at the mention of Alex' death. I really don't want to talk about this, especially not with some man I hardly know. "His name was Alex Whitman. He was my best friend." I say in clipped tones, making it perfectly clear that that's all that's going to be said on that subject.

"I'm sorry." He says and for the first time his expression seems genuine. "I've lost men before myself, overseas, I know what it's like."

_Yeah sure you do. I bet you know what it's like to find out that your best friend was killed by your ex-boyfriend's girlfriend.  
_

"Well, I'd better be going." He says as he looks at his watch before standing up to put some money down on the counter.

"It was nice to meet you…" He asks as he extends his hand to me.

"Liz." I finish as I take his hand.

He smiles as he shakes it. "Special Agent Thomas Rodes." He answers, but I can barely hear it. From the moment I took his hand, my entire world started to spin on it's axis. Everything went black and the noise from the diner went away, the only thing left the sounds of bullets fired and helicopters, bombs falling and men screaming.

It doesn't end until he releases me. I'm so shocked at what's just come to pass that I don't return his shallow "Bye then.". It takes just about all the energy I've got left to walk over to a booth and sit down. There's only one thought on my mind.

_WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?_

--

I didn't mention anything about my strange and frankly terrifying experience to Michael or Isabel when they arrived forty-five minutes later. They looked so tired and worn down that I didn't want them to have to worry about me as well.

Besides, I have no idea what happened myself. I'd be inclined to blame the 'hallucination' on my serious lack of sleep if I hadn't been around aliens for so long. I don't know what's going on with me, but still, it didn't happen again for the rest of the night and that agent certainly set my nerves on edge. Maybe I'm just losing it, maybe not, but until I know what happened I don't want to bother my friends, especially since I'm leaving in a few hours.

_If it happens again while I'm away, then I'll tell them._I think to myself as I watch Michael haul an empty suitcase onto my bed.

"So, how is Max handling his first day back?" I ask as I start to pack my newly bought sweaters. Roswell doesn't exactly require a winter wardrobe, but apparently Paris is still quite chilly this time of year.

Michael shrugs as he watches me pack. "Don't know. Didn't really bother asking Iz when I saw her this morning. But I know he had to report for community service first thing this morning. Do you want me to pack anything for you?"

I shake my head. "No, I know exactly what to bring, it's easier if I just do it." I say as I lay out my favorite jeans to wear on the plane and I dump two other pair in my suitcase.

"Okay, then why did you ask me to help you pack if you're not going to let me pack anything?"

"I don't need you to help me pack, I need you for what comes after the packing." I say as I go to get my toiletries out of the bathroom.

He looks confused now. "What's that then?"

"Trying to get my suitcase shut." I say. He laughs as he looks at the mounting heap of clothing now protruding form it.

"What about when you're in Paris, who's going to get it closed then? Maybe you should just bring less clothes, Lizzie. You're only going for a week for crying out loud."

"There are boys at the university too, you know. I'm sure one of them would be happy to help me if I asked."

His face clouds over with something I can't really identify. Protectiveness? Or jealousy? No, can't be. This is Michael, he doesn't get jealous, not because of me anyways.

"You shouldn't let someone else pack your suitcase, Liz. What if they slip something in it? What if they use you as a drug mule?" I can tell by his voice that he already knows that that sounds ridiculous.

"Yeah, Michael, because the France – America drug trafficking business is just such an issue these days." I say, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Oh shut up." He says as he throws one of my pillows at my head with laughter in his voice.

--

I saw Max today. My parents asked me to go on a supply run for them, more like guilt-tripped me into it, actually. _Honey, please. We're already going to be so busy when you're gone._ Not that I really minded. Michael had to go back to school as soon as I was done packing since his free period was almost over and I was way too wired to do anything really productive anyway.

I was driving towards Las Cruces when I spotted him, along with the rest of his community service group, cleaning up trash by the guardrail. It was the first time that I didn't see Max as a threat (though that may have been, because I was safely seated inside a car), he didn't look angry, as I've seen him look most of the time before he left. In fact, he looked a little sad, lost even and even though I hated to admit it, I felt a little sorry for him.

I know I can't keep avoiding him forever, even though I wish I could. But he is Isabel's brother and she's one of my best friends, we're bound to run into one another. And as I saw him there, looking more like the nice boy I knew than the scary alien king that he had been lately, I began to wonder if things could ever go back to normal.

I wish things could sometimes. I wish that I could just turn back the clock and that everything would be okay again, but I can't. Maybe one day a long time form now I'll be able to be in the same room with Max during holidays or birthdays and talk to him like he's a friend. But I know things won't ever go back to the way they were between us. Forgive and forget sounds all nice and easy, but it really isn't. Someday, maybe, when I see some remorse for what he did to me, to his siblings, to his friends, then maybe I can forgive him eventually. But forgetting isn't an option. Max proved to all of us that it isn't Michael who has a violent streak inside him, it's Max and no matter how much time passes I don't think I can ever stop watching him to see if it comes out again.

--

"So have you got everything you need? Ticket, passport? Someone is picking you up in Paris, right? And you better call me the moment you get there." He says as we stand in front of the check-in counter.

"Yes, mom." I say with a laugh while I roll my eyes, even though I find his concern for me quite endearing.

I pull him into a hug. "I'll see you in a week. I'll even bring you back a tacky Eiffel Tower statue, how's that?"

He snorts. "Gee, thanks. That's something I've always wanted." I smack him playfully against his back at his sarcasm.

"I'm going to miss you, Liz." He says as he hugs me a little tighter.

"I'm going to miss you too." I say before kissing him on the cheek and walking towards the gate.

Paris here I come.

* * *

**I'm entering examweek here and after that I'm going to study in New York for two weeks, so I won't be updating for at least three week, but I hope to update sooner after that. Happy holidays!**


	11. Paris When It Sizzles

**Wow it's been awhile. Anyhow, here's the new chapter. Some of the French words in this are supposed to have accents, but my keyboard won't type those, so sorry. Also, the italics are thoughts. I got blocked during this chapter quite often, which is why it's taken me so long to finish, but I hope it was worth the wait. Enjoy and please review.**_

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_Chapter Eleven_

_Paris Quand Il Grésille_

_Paris When It Sizzles_

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Paris is amazing, I think as I sit on a half-wall in the gardens adjacent to the Louvre. It's not just the famous sites and beautiful old architecture that you see everywhere you go. It's this feeling I get as I walk around the city. There's this vibe here in the air that makes me buzz with excitement and makes me feel like I can do anything, like anything is possible.

Here, I feel free.

It's like a burden has fallen off my shoulders. Here, there are no alien threats, no violent ex-boyfriends or the awkwardness of faded friendships. Here, I'm not Liz Parker: bookworm, perfect daughter and friend. No one here expects me to be anytthing but who I choose to be, I'm not held back by my past. Here, there is the possibility of truly making a fresh start and that feels incredibly liberating. And honestly, I am reluctant to let go of that freedom, though I fear that once I return home I'll automatically fall back into the role my parents and my friends expect me to play.

I'm not saying that I'm unhappy in Roswell, because I'm not. And I'm not saying that my friends are forcing me to be someone I'm not. Things are going okay now; _I'm_ doing okay now, but the aftermath of Alex' death has changed my goals and myself and my belief systerm more than I ever could've imagined.

I'm afraid that if I show them just how much I've changed, show them all of me, they'll turn away from me. It's a fear that just won't leave me alone, however irrantional it may be, since Michael, Kyle, Isabel and I are now so much closer than before, but the memory of all of them abandoning me after Alex' death keeps lingering in my mind, reminding me that my fears aren't completely unfounded.

I smile as Justine, my guide and roommate, walks towards me with two steaming cups in her hands. The chilly winter breeze blowing her long red hair in her face.

"Cafe creme, no sugar, non?" She asks me before handing me my cup when I nod affirmitively and sitting down beside me.

"Mmmh, warmth." I sigh as the heat of the coffee seeps into my slightly shaking hands.

Though cold, it is beautiful out here. Snow covers the garden and the arc through which you enter it from the museum, which itself is also covered in snow. It looks a little like a scene from a fairytale or the final part of a romantic comedy, where the characters finally admit there love for each other. I don't know why, but suddenly I feel a bit lonely.

"Are you alright, ma chere? You are very quiet today."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, I guess." I say as I look back at the scenery. Between all my classes and exploring the city I haven't really had the time to sleep off my jetlag yet.

"Do you want to go back?"

"What? No! We haven't been to the Notre Dame yet and I want to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up tonight."

Justine makes a dissaproving face at my last request.

"You don't like the light show?" I ask as I take a sip of my rapidly cooling coffee.

I laugh as Justine sticks up her nose and indignantly says, "La Tour Eiffel is a national landmark, not a carnival ride."

"Still, it's pretty." I nudge.

"Fine." She says with a dramatic sigh as she puts the hair that's blown in her face again back behind her ear. "As long as you come with me to Cafe Broulant after so you can meet my Pierre."

"Promise."

--

Cafe Broulant is a dark and somewhat dingy bar in Montmartre that is popular with the students here in Paris. The minute we enter Justine runs off to try and find Pierre, her boyfriend. I sit down at the bar and order when the bartender passes me, ignoring the leer he gives me.

"Un verre de vin, s' il vous plait."

Maybe a glass of wine will help me sleep better tonight. Aside from an occasional sip from my mother's glass, I've never really drank alcohol before. I've never really felt the need to, a coke is just as tasty, but for the French it's such a part of life that I've become used to the occasional glass.

Though I've learned not to drink more than two glasses a night, since Justine doesn't really know her limit and on almost every occasion that we've gone out I ended up holding er up as we waited for the subway.

I'm halfway through my glass when Justine finds her way back to me on the arm of a handsome dark curly haired man.

"Lizzie, this is Pierre."

"Hi." I say as I hold out my hand to shake his. "Nice to meet you. Justine won't shut up about you."

Pierre smiles as he takes my hand. "Likewise, on both counts."

The three of us fall into easy conversation while Justine orders us one more round of drinks. I start to decline, my first glass already hitting me harder than usual, my head feels fuzzy and aches at the same time, but Justine won't have any of it. I decide to just finish this glass and go back to my dorm after, I've got an early class tomorrow.

Halfway through our drinks the conversation stilts. Justine's a bit too busy hanging on Pierre to really notice anything but him and I'm just too tired right now to keep a guy I barely know talking.

"_I wish she would just leave so we can go." _

I look up from my glass in shock, not quite believing that Pierre would actualy say that out loud (though I had been thinking the same thing about them), though from his blank expression as I look up at him he doesn't seem to have noticed that I heard him. Which isn't that strange, his voice was really soft and we're in a crowded bar, he probably just whispered it to Justine.

"You know what, guys?" I say as I plaster on a fake smile. "I'm really tired. I think I'm going to head home soon." I can practically see the relief on their faces.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow for lunch, oui?" Justine asks as Pierre already escorts her off outside.

"Yes. I'll see you tomorrow." I say as I watch them leave.

With a relieved sigh I turn back to my half-full glass of wine, deciding to finish it before I leave since I need the same train as Justine and Pierre and I have no desire to try and ignore them making out the entire way home.

I rub at my eyes when my brain starts to feel fuzzy again, no not fuzzy, pressured, like someone's pushing at it from the outside. It's a strange feeling, one that I don't particularly like, since it's probably announcing an oncoming migraine, but I try to ignore it as I look around the bar.

"_She's kind of hot. I wonder If she'll go home with me."_

I turn to the sound of the voice, which I recognised as the bartender's, to find him leering at me again. But before I can say that hell will freeze over before I'd ever go anywhere with the likes of him, I hear something else, someone else.

"_I can't believe I failed my mid-term, my dad'll kill me."_

I turn around looking for the source, absently noting that my headache's increasing. No one is looking at me and no one is close enough to me to for me to hear them so clearly in a loud crowded bar. I see a boy about my age sitting in the corner somewhere, his head bent sadly over his beer, five more empty glasses next to him. _Poor guy, _I think, _maybe he has girlfriend issues._

I've barely looked at him for two seconds when other voices that I can't identify start intruding in my thoughts. Where are these people coming from? My head hurts.

"_I wonder how many drinks I'll have to give her before she decides to give it up." _I look in distaste as a preppy students feeds an intoxicated co-ed another shot.

A horrifying realization comes to me as I start to hear more voices, so many that they're getting muddled. Nobody is close enough to me for me to hear them speaking and almost everyone is too busy talking with someone else.

They're not talking to me, they're in my head.

Actually, I think I'm in theirs.

I grab my head as the pressure increases even more, followed by painful stings and so many voices.

"_I love him, why can't he love me?"_

"_Do I look fat in this dress?"_

"_I miss my mom."_

"_Is he going to propose tonight?"_

"_Why does she get all the attention and I get nothing?"_

"_Dad's got to stop drinking."_

"_I can't believe England won the game."_

"_Please God, let her say yes."_

I get up and grab my purse, I have to get out here, The voices are too much, i can't shut them out and it _hurts._

"_IlovehimwhycanthelovemeDoIlookfatinthisdressImissmymomIshegoingtoproposetonightWhydoesshegetalltheattentionandIgetnothingDadsgottostopdrinkingIcantbelieveEnglandwonthegamePleaseGodlethersayyes"_

The pain and pressure in my head dies down a little as soon as I step foot outside. I let out a sigh of relief, only to wince again in pain when some guy passes me on the street, bumping into me in his hurry.

I decided to avoid the subway, the thought of being trapped underground in a train with no way out and hundreds of people in my head a little too claustrophobic at the moment.

The closer I get to my dorm the worse the pressure gets again. It's sunday night and it's already on the late side, which means that most students are already inside either sleeping or studying. I brace myself and open the door, immediately I'm assaulted by voices again, the pain in my head reaching fever pitch. I tell myself to just get to my room as soon as I can and down some of the heavy duty sleeping pills I was prescribed after Alex died.

I storm into my bathroom, yanking open the cabinet and taking out the little orange bottle, my vision is going blurry and I feel as though the room is spinning. There are so _many_ of them, all screaming in my mind. It has to stop. _Please God, make it stop! It hurts._

I swallow three pills instead of the prescribed two without any water and stumble over to my bed. I'm seeing black spots now. I don't even bother changing into my pyjamas, just dropping myself down on the duvet fully clothed, shoving the pillow over my head, trying to drown out everything.

"_The law of Archimedes is that the upward force is equal to the weight of the amount of fluid moved."_

"_Why hasn't he called?"_

"_If x equals c and y equals…"_

"_The dark room of Damocles was one of the first Dutch novels to not glorify the actions of the resistance during World War Two."_

Slowly but surely the voices are losing their volume as the sleeping pills start doing their job, stealing me away into oblivion,

When I wake up the following morning, there's nothing in my head but blissful silence.

--

I skipped classes today and canceled my lunch with Justine. I'm still too freaked out about what happened yesterday to focus on anything else. So I wandered around the city aimlessly for most of the morning, finally resting my aching feet in a little bistro next to the Notre Dame.

For the last ten minutes I've been struggling with whether I should call Michael or not. I'm positive that my sudden psychic abilities are alien related, Ava did say I was changed after all, though I never expected this.

My most extreme thoughts after hearing Ava say this were that I would maybe develop one of the hybrids powers, probably Max' since he healed me. That thought never really scared me very much. But this, this power? It has me completely terrified, especially since I don't know where it came from or what triggers it. At first I thought it may have been the alcohol, my head did start to hurt more after my second glass. Yet it didn't happen before and I've drunk a glass of wine before yesterday.

I want to call Michael and I know I should, but I decide not to. He'll freak out and will probably get so worried that he'll hop on the first plane to Paris to come and get me. I'm only here for three more days anyway, I'll just make sure not to drink any alcohol in that time, just to be safe, and hope it doesn't happen again.

--

It did happen again, twice yesterday and once on the plane today. Luckily it wasn't as severe as it had been that sunday. It gave me a migraine, the constant buzz of thoughts in my head, indistinguishable voices all muttering at the same time.

I don't like the feeling, the fact that I can't control it makes me feel like I'm not the boss of my own mind anymore. I feel naked and exposed, which is weird since I am the one who gets a sneak peak into a person's most inner thoughts. But still, the thought that this could happen any day at any time has me worried. What if I'm at school or working, or worse still, what if I'm driving?

Paris had gone from a lovely escape of reality to an opressive place where danger lurked everywhere in my frazzled state of mind. Where I dreaded going home a week ago, now I'm looking forward to it. At least then Michael, Isabel, Kyle and I can start figuring out what's wrong with me.

I smile as I see two very familiar teenage boys waiting for me at the terminal. I drop my bags and throw my arms around both their necks, making our heads bump against each other a little.

Suddenly it feels like a weight has been lifted off of shoulders, I'm safe. I'm home.

Somehow I know everything is going to be alright.

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**I hope you liked this latest chapter, I'm unsure when the next one will be up, since I'm a bit busy with college applications at the moment, but I'll try to update faster than last time :P**


	12. Getting Closer

**Finally a new update! I'm sorry it has taken me this long, and that this chapter isn't that long, but senior year has just been crazy, what with exams and colleges etc. But I hope that you'll enjoy it! Reviews are always appreciated. And I'd like to thank those who already have.**_

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_Chapter Twelve_

_Se Rapprocher_

_Getting Closer_

"For God's sake Liz, just sit down and tell us already." Kyle says exasperated as he watches me pace back and forth on the dry canyon ground for the umpteenth time. I do as he says, only to immediately start chewing on my thumbnail as I look at Michael, Isabel and Kyle sitting across from me on another large boulder.

I don't know why I'm so nervous, Ava told us all that I'd been changed and that this could happen. They shouldn't be shocked to hear that I've developed powers, should they? And still I feel uneasy when I shouldn't. They're my best friends, they love me, I know they'll help me through this and yet I keep putting off telling them. Maybe I'm just scared of what it'll mean when I finally say it out loud. I've tried so hard to put all the alien chaos behind me, there hasn't been anything suspicious going on since Tess left the planet and now, due to my little problem, all that drama has come crashing back into my life.

"Uhm well recently I..uh…have been experiencing some strange…" I take a deep breath to calm myself. _Just get it over with already. _"I think I have a power." I blurt out.

Their faces show surprise, but no horror or shock, which rationally I knew wouldn't be there yet I still feared it silently. Kyle and Michael have looks of restrained worry on their faces, while Isabel tries to hide her enthusiasm. I knew she'd be the happiest with this development, she's missed a girl who could identify with her since Tess left.

"What is it?" Kyle asks, now looking slightly scared. I know how much he fears growing antennae.

"I don't know exactly, its only happened a dozen or so times. I get headaches and then I start to hear things." I say, not wanting to scare them by telling them that sometimes I see stuff too. One step at a time.

"Hear things?" Michael asks as he scratches his eyebrow.

"Voices. I'm pretty sure I can hear what they're thinking, though not everything. Most of the time it happened when I was in crowded places, so after a few moments all the voices got so loud and were there in such number that I couldn't make anything out anymore. That's usually when it hurts the most." No point in hiding that it hurts me, it's bound to happen around them too and I don't want them to freak out then.

"When did it happen for the first time?" Isabel asks as she sits down beside me. Michael is rubbing his hands over his face. I get the distinct feeling that he isn't happy with this development, though why he wouldn't be, I don't know. I figured he'd be the happiest that now I'm one of them, even if I hid it from him a bit longer than he would've liked.

"The first time that I actually started hearing voices was in Paris, but the day before I left something strange happened that I think may have been the first sign." I say before telling them about agent Rodes and my vision.

"AND YOU JUST LEFT? WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL US?" Michael's outburst come out of nowhere and both Isabel and I jump up in surprise.

"I didn't know what was happening, I didn't know if it was a onetime thing or not and you guys had just come back from picking up Max and I didn't want to worry you."

"YOU HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO YOU AND YOU STILL LEFT? HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING THESE PAST TWO YEARS?" He bellows out once more, but I notice he doesn't really look angry but scared and hurt.

I know that he's just worried about me and scared of what will happen, but I don't appreciate being yelled at. "YES I HAVE, BUT I WAS LEAVING AND FOR ONCE I JUST WANTED TO FEEL NORMAL AGAIN, SO I DECIDED IT COULD WAIT!" I yell in his face. "I'm telling you now aren't I?" I say so softly that I'm sure only he could hear.

He snorts. "Whatever Liz." And on that note he walks off to his bike that's parked a few yards away.

"Michael!" I try, but he speeds off without a second glance as Isabel puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Just let him be for a while Liz. He's just a bit overwhelmed, he'll come around." I nod and follow Kyle and Izzie back to the car, all of us silently agreeing not to discuss anything until Michael is present. The four of us have grown so close these past few months that it feels wrong to talk things over without his input, like it would be some form of betrayal.

Betrayal…

Maybe that's why he was so upset. Ever since I left the hospital Michael and I have grown increasingly closer. Before I left for Paris a change in our dietary habits was subject enough to give each other a call and now he's found out that I hid something as huge as developing powers from him for the past three weeks. _What if he's afraid I don't trust him?_

As I see the barren desert land flash by my window I vow to go see him at his apartment before he starts his shift at Metachem.

---

At ten to six I'm standing in front of his apartment door, fidgeting. Normally I would just use my key and barge in, not caring if he was there or not, he wouldn't have minded my waiting inside, but now I'm not so sure I'm welcome. We've had little tiffs before, but this felt like more, maybe because he's never yelled at me before or I at him. It's a strange feeling that after all this time of spending time together I suddenly feel like I don't know what to expect.

After a few minutes I hesitantly knock on the door.

"Hi." I say and force a small smile on my face. He lets me in without saying a word.

"I'm sorry Michael." I say to break the silence that settled upon us as we sat down on his ratty couch a few minutes ago. "I know I should've told you sooner but I was scared, okay? I didn't want to admit anything was happening, I hoped it would just go away. Everything had been going so well lately…" I trail off, not knowing what else to say. Right now I can't even really remember why I didn't want to tell him.

"I didn't want this for you." He murmurs a few moments later as he stares at his hands. It's so soft that I barely caught it.

"What?" I ask confused as I turn to him on the sofa. The atmosphere in the room has changed with that one sentence, it wasn't angry, just unbelievably sad.

"I didn't want this to happen. You were just starting to be okay again after Alex…" He stands up from the couch abruptly and starts pacing the length of the living room, one hand continuously messing up his hair; a clear sign that he's upset.

"You shouldn't have to handle this," Right turn "You deserve to be normal, after everything that happened to you because of us," Left turn "All the lying and the stealing and Alex…" At the mention of Alex's name he stops again and turns to me, both hands rubbing up and down his face again, his hair is sticking up in such a hilarious way that if the conversation wasn't so serious I would've burst out laughing for sure.

"I don't want to see you get hurt again. Liz, I can't lose you t…"

"You won't." I cut him off as I fly him around the neck.

We stand like that, just hugging, for a few moments before he speaks again.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." I just shake my head against his neck, silently telling him that it's forgotten.

"Michael?" I say as I look up at him, trying to break this intense vibe that I don't really know how to deal with. "Your hair looks ridiculous."

He laughs and kisses the top of my head and suddenly everything's fine again.

---

Three days later we still don't really know how to handle my 'little problem' as I have gotten used to calling it. It hasn't happened that frequently, sometimes once a day, sometimes twice. It helps if I have something else to focus on and if I get the chance to be alone. We've come to the conclusion that I just have to find some way to control it through practice.

I've also learnt that my power doesn't seem to work on the aliens, a revelation that also led to the certainty that Kyle would also develop powers at some point, since I couldn't hear him either. He was a bit shocked at first, scared after seeing me almost pass out from the pain in my head at lunch the day before yesterday, but he's calmed down somewhat. I don't think he'll develop the same powers as me, a theory based on the fact that I developed a power that none of the aliens possessed, not even Tess. I think our brain physiology determines which abilities we get.

Though I am quite happy that I can't hear Kyle, Isabel and Michael's thoughts. Hearing complete strangers giving their uncensored opinion of you is one thing, hearing your friend's thoughts about you is quite something else.

Max has been home for almost a month now and according to Isabel he's doing better. He hasn't missed a community service yet and he's studying to get his GED, since he doesn't feel comfortable going back to school where everyone knows that he tried to rob a convenience store. His parents agreed, more out of fear that he'd relapse into his old habits if he doesn't feel happy if anything else.

I'm glad though, that he's not returning. I'm comfortable with the way things are now, though I know that's selfish. Isabel and Max are on speaking terms again, mostly because of the family therapy session Max was ordered to take by the judge, but Michael hasn't spoken to him since the car ride back to Roswell. He doesn't outright pretend that his brother doesn't exist when he sees Max walking down the street somewhere, but he refuses to do more even with our gentle prodding to get the brothers on speaking terms again.

Not that I have talked to Max since I've been back, but he's not my brother, though I don't want to push Michael into a relationship with him again, like Iz is trying to do. I learnt a long time ago that Michael has to do things on his own terms and in his own time. He'll make things right with Max when he's ready to, though I fear sometimes that that time won't come within this decade. Michael isn't a man of second chances and Max has already wasted several of those.

I smile as I slide my phone shut and look at the scenery that passes me by through the school bus window. Currently, we're on our way to a field trip to an ecology research facility just outside Las Cruces. Michael is sitting next to me, reading, and Kyle is in the seat in front of us, sleeping soundly and drooling on his seat. Isabel has finally returned to San Francisco after the four week break she took to help Max get back on his feet, something both Michael and I silently disagreed with since she fought Max so hard to actually be able to go to college in the first place.

"What are you smiling about?" Michael asks as he bumps my shoulder.

I shrug. "I'm just happy."

"Yeah?" He half smiles.

I give a firm nod and smile back.

"Yeah."

---

"OH GOD IT HURTS!" I gasp out as I grasp my head. Michael's tugged me into some damp cave that leads to the aquarium when my little problem reared it's ugly head by the rainforest, it's out of order so there isn't anyone around. I think Michael told Kyle to stand guard outside, but I can't be sure in my pain addled mind.

"Liz just stay with me okay?" It's only now that I notice that he's holding me up. "Just try to block it out, try anything. Do you want to hit something? You can hit me if you want." If my head wasn't killing me the tone of desperation in his voice would've.

I shake my head no and grab his arms to steady myself. I just have to think about anything but the voices, but the pain. _Happy thoughts, think happy thoughts._

_Kyle and I beating Michael and the Sherriff at air hockey._

_Making fun of the boys with Isabel._

_Michael helping me with my science project for the college Olympiad._

_The Sherriff, Kyle, Isabel, Michael and I all having Christmas dinner together._

_Building a fort of snow outside after dinner with Michael and Kyle and the snowball fight that followed._

_Michael and I watching Friends re-runs after midnight._

_Michael…_

Suddenly all the noise stops and there is a minute of deafening silence before my hearing gradually starts to come back. With a sigh of relief I slump against Michael.

"You okay?" He asks.

I nod against his chest. "I think I did it." I say. "I think I shut it off. For now, at least." The pain is still there, but less intense than a minute ago. It'll fade in a couple of minutes, I know, but I am completely exhausted.

Once I'm up for moving Kyle and Michael take me to Mr. Steinberg, our biology teacher's intern. I must look awful, because he takes one look at me and immediately orders Michael to take me back to the bus and wait there. The rest of the group will be done in an hour. To Kyle's dismay he has to stay behind.

"How did you stop it?" Michael asks when we're back on the bus. I'm slumped in my seat, on the verge of falling asleep right there with my head on his shoulder.

"Most of the time I only hear bad thoughts, and those hurt. Maybe it's because usually bad thoughts are stronger than happy thoughts or something, so I can hear those better. So I just thought that if I focused on the happy things in my life than maybe I could focus enough to drown them out and it worked." I have to fight to keep my eyes open.

"What did you think about?" He asks me softly.

"You." I say after a while. "I thought about you."

The blush that appears on his cheeks is the last thing I know before sweet darkness overtakes me.


	13. New Developments

**Wow, it really has been a long time this time. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible, but no promises. I've only got four weeks left until final examinations, so I'm pretty busy right now. Well, enjoy!**_

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_Chapter Thirteen_

_L__es Nouveaux Développements_

_New Developments_

Homecoming. The dance that follows the big game that Kyle is forcing us all to come watch with him. He might have quit the team after he came back from his retreat so he could focus on school and wrestling, but according to him that doesn't mean he can just leave his old buddies hanging. Which I find rather strange, since he hasn't spoken to 'his old buddies' since school began. Maybe it's a boy thing, I don't know.

I'm not really bothered that he's dragging us to see it. Kyle is pretty excited about it, since it's the finals. Even Michael, who pretty much represents the opposite of school spirit, wants to go. So Isabel and I have resigned ourselves to the prospect of watching a bunch of teenage boys with severe cases of testosterone poisoning shove at each other for an hour.

Afterwards I'm supposed to go to Isabel's to get ready for the dance. It's not something I'm really looking forward to. The last dance I attended ended with me catching the boy I loved sucking face with the one girl I hated. This year I'm flying solo, but that's okay, so is everyone else in our group. Unless Kyle finally scrounged up enough courage to ask Isabel. I've seen the way he looks at her and Kyle isn't very good at hiding what he feels, so it will only be a matter of time before Isabel starts noticing too.

I would've thought it would bother me more, the thought that Isabel might move on from Alex, since he is still such a presence in my life, but it doesn't. After everything that's happened Izzie deserves to be happy (if she can ever admit to herself that she has feelings for Kyle too, that is).

Mind numbing pain aside, I've been doing better as well. I don't know if it is because school is just crazy right now or that every free moment that I have is spent with Michael trying to learn to control my powers or just the overwhelming feeling of constantly having the thoughts and emotions of others in my head and no time to focus on my own feelings, but I feel lighter, less angry. I used to hate Tess and when that passed I was left with an aching hole filled with grief, but now I'm starting to think that I'm finally dealing with Alex' loss.

I loved Alex. I will always love Alex, he was my best friend, but I think that maybe it is time to let go.

Now if only Max would learn to do the same. He knows not to come near me when Michael or Kyle are around and Isabel makes sure he doesn't bother us when I'm over at her house, but I can tell he watches us sometimes.

The first time I noticed him was during our lunch break, about three weeks after he came back from Utah. As annoyingly painful this new power of mine is, I've learned that it can also be quite useful. At first I just thought I was getting paranoid. I was sitting against my tree, eating my cheese and bacon sandwich and laughing at something Kyle had said, when suddenly I felt a surge of guilt and pain and resentment coming out of nowhere. I looked around for the source, but it was a sunny day and the quad was packed, so I couldn't tell where it was coming from. From then on I felt it almost every day, most of the time during lunch at school, but also at times at the Crash when Michael, Kyle and I were doing our homework after our shifts. Both were busy locations and even though the feeling made me feel slightly anxious, I couldn't single out the culprit and decided to let it go.

I only figured out it was Max after two weeks. I was having a girl's night at Isabel's during her break from school when I started feeling it again, just as I was turning towards the door I saw Max's orange sweater turn the corner. It was difficult to believe at first, after all I couldn't hear the other aliens. But then I started noticing that I could _feel _them sometimes, when they were feeling strong emotions. I could always tell when Michael had seen Max walking by somewhere or when Isabel had gone to visit Alex' grave. After that it was difficult not to notice him. I learned he had taken up the old habit of spying on us, something that due to previous events made my slightly queasy.

Yet, Max following us around didn't scare me as much as I thought it should've. Maybe it was because of that overwhelming feeling of melancholy he exuded whenever he was near or maybe it was because he only seemed to watch us as a group. I hadn't yet caught him spying on me when I was alone. If it wasn't for that smidgen of resentment and anger I felt coming off of him at times I may never have told anyone what he was doing. It felt more like Max missed us, missed being a part of us, which is what I told the group.

Michael went ballistic when I told everyone what Max was up to nevertheless. It took all three of us to convince him not to go out and put him in the hospital.

For me, avoiding Max has been pretty easy. He doesn't come in to the Crash and he doesn't attend school anymore, so the only time I can ever really run into him is at the Evans's and the grocery store and that's just fine with me. I know, however, that Isabel has some problems dealing with the fact that her brother isn't in every part of her life anymore. It makes me feel guilty at times, knowing I'm the reason Isabel can't spend as much time with her brother as she might want, even though she's told me that she doesn't blame me.

Deep down I know it isn't really my fault that Michael and Iz lost their brother, that was Max's own fault, but I do know I'm the reason they're keeping him away.

I can't help it, though, I just have this overwhelming desire to keep him out of my life, with good reason. I'm not as angry as I was with him, mainly because it was just too exhausting to hate him constantly, but my ability has told me that even though he feels regret and sadness for how everything is between him and us, he still isn't really sorry for what happened. He's still convinced that being drunk was a justified excuse for what he did to me and that he had the right to order Isabel and Michael to come with him to find his son, because he was their King. He is starting to see that maybe he could've handled things differently, but until he realizes that what he did was wrong I'm not willing to be friends again.

Michael, on the other hand, has no trouble staying angry with his brother. Which isn't that incomprehensible. When Michael hurts he lashes out and Max hurt him, deeply. Max had let his brother down before; Michael told me how disappointed he was when Max told him he'd been so irresponsible to get Tess pregnant and how it hurt when Max hit him after Michael had met with Topolsky, even though he knew what Hank did to him. But Max hurting me, hurt Michael too. It shattered the image of Max being the older responsible brother that Michael looked up to. Max getting arrested in Utah was just the final straw for him, knowing that his brother would willingly sacrifice the safety of his family for his son. Knowing that in Max's eyes they did not matter, pushed him over the edge.

He doesn't like to talk about it much, but he did tell me that if he ever forgave Max, things couldn't ever go back to the way they were and that until Max realizes that he won't be welcomed back anytime soon and that if he is he won't be their King, Michael is going to go on avoiding him. That's where he and Isabel differ. Though Isabel knows Max was wrong and that he did a horrible thing, she loves her brother too much for the tough love approach, she'll try to do what will make everyone happy.

--

Two weeks to the dance and Isabel and I are dress shopping at the mall while the guys are renting tuxes (though by now they're probably in some game store trying out the latest Matrix game).

"What about this one for you, Liz?" Isabel asks as she holds out a floor length silky pink dress with tiny straps.

I give it the once over, before frowing. "It's pink." I say, the discontent clear in my voice.

Isabel rolls her eyes, clearly exasperated by my pickiness dress wise. She's already got at least eight dresses hanging on her arm that she wants to try on. "What's wrong with pink?"

I shrug. "I don't like pink." It is times like these that I miss Maria, or maybe not Maria per se, but that kind of friendship that has lasted so long that you know exactly what the other likes and dislikes and you know exactly when to leave them alone and when to push.

I love Isabel and I think that over time we could even be better friends than Maria and I ever were, but Izzie and I are still just at the start of our friendship. We haven't really found that delicate balance yet and Isabel is a pusher, which means that usually ten minutes into our shopping I'm annoyed that she won't let me shop for myself and she's annoyed that I won't let her help.

Which is where we're at now. The dress she's holding up isn't really that bad, aside from the color, but I don't even feel like going to the dance, let alone shop for a dress for it. Luckily Isabel is less susceptible to being hurt by my annoyance when she's in Dance-Nazi mode.

I turn to the rack to my left as Isabel hangs the pink dress back with a sigh and a shake of her head. A knee-length silky black dress catches my eye, it has no decorations except for the strap of white silk just below the chest that ties into a loose bow at the back. It's not one of the more glamorous dresses that Isabel has tried to get me to try on, but I instantly like it.

"What about this one?" I ask her as I hold out the dress.

I smirk as I see her frown before she smoothes out her expression. "It is very...simple." She tells me with a fake smile. I can feel my smirk growing. _She means boring._

I shrug at her, before looking at the dress again. "I like it." She smiles a little more sincerely at me this time. "Then you should get it. You don't need to get a super fancy dress anyway, you'd look good in anything, anyway."

"Thank you." I say as I walk towards the changing booths with my dress. "So would you, so just pick one of those gazillion gorgeous dresses you're carrying so we can get out of here and meet the guys for lunch, because I'm starving."

That makes her laugh. "I think you're spending too much time with Michael, Liz. You're social skills are devolving." I hear her muffled voice tell me from the booth next to mine.

"Thanks, I guess." I tell her with a smirk. Secretly I'm a bit proud of myself, back when it was still Maria and I, I would never have told her I wanted to leave. I would've just followed whatever Maria wanted to do, in an effort not to get her mad at me.

Isabel yanks open the curtain with a smirk, telling me that that wasn't a compliment. She looks beautiful in her dark red strapless dress.

It takes her another half an hour to decide which dress she wants, by that time I wasn't even paying attention to what she was wearing anymore. Any time she came out wearing something different I just hummed my approval and tried to ignore the suddenly incredible irresistible smell of hotdogs that was wafting up from the food court.

And I find hotdogs disgusting, so you can imagine how much I wanted to kill Izzie when she asked if I could get her a few other dresses.

Even Isabel had to laugh when I dragged her out of the store by her ear.

--

"So did you get a nice tux?" I ask Kyle as we sit down at a table near the Pizza Hut. Michael and Isabel are standing in line, waiting for our order to come up.

"Oh yeah, it's awesome. I look like James Bond." He says with a wide smile before turning his eyes back to Isabel.

I smile. Sometimes that boy is so obvious. "So, are you going to ask her?"

I inwardly smirk as he looks back at me, completely caught out, before creasing his face into an expression of confusion. "Ask who?"

"Isabel." I tell him indulgently.

"Ask Isabel what?" I can tell he is getting nervous, since he has started scratching behind his ear.

I exaggerate an annoyed sigh. "Are you going to ask Isabel to the dance?"

Kyle lets out a nervous laugh, "Why would I ask Izzie to homecoming?"

"Kyle." I say. "I know you like her."

He sighs. "So? That doesn't mean that she likes me, what if she says no? Everything would be awkward after that."

"She might say yes, Kyle. Maybe you should just risk it. You two deserve to have some fun after the year we've had." I tell him as I watch the siblings move further down the line.

"Well then why don't you ask Michael to go with you? You two could use a little fun too, you know." He asks me with a smirk.

I put a frown on my face, even though I can feel my cheeks flush. I'd be lying if I hadn't thought about Michael in that way, but I resigned myself a while ago to the fact that all we'll ever be is friends. Michael doesn't see me that way and I'll never let him know that sometimes I wonder what it would be like if we were more than friends. Michael means way too much to me, no way that I'm going to ruin our friendship over feelings that may fade over time for all I know.

"That's different. Michael and I are just friends." _Did my voice just get higher?_

"Oh please, Liz. I've seen the way you guys look at each other." He says as he crosses his arms over his chest and looks at me sternly. "You can't tell me you don't like him, even just a little bit."

I shrug, feeling flustered. Sometimes I curse Kyle's foray into Buddhism, his new found peace seems to have made him way more observant than I care for. "Maybe, but it doesn't matter Kyle. Michael and I are just friends and I'm not going to risk losing that friendship, no matter what."

"Didn't you just tell me to take that same risk with Isabel? Maybe you should just take your own advice Lizzie." He tells me as his gaze once again wanders over to the alien siblings, who seem to be getting impatient, waiting for their food.

"That's different, Kyle. You and Isabel are different. Michael and I, we're….we're" I trail off, not really knowing how to explain just exactly what I'm feeling to him.

Kyle sighs. "Yeah, I know. You two are much closer than Isabel and I, but you're practically a couple anyway with the way you two act. Hell, half the school is already convinced that you're together. If I didn't know any better then I would too. Did you ever consider that maybe you two are that close because you're not the only one who feels this way?"

I sigh as I rub my eyes in frustration. "I just can't Kyle. It doesn't matter how I feel, I won't risk it. I can't lose someone else Kyle. I've already lost Alex and Maria, I can't lose Michael too, especially not to something as silly as this."

Kyle looks at me with a smile that seems to me to be a mixture of pity and indulgence.

"Love is not silly, Liz."

--

"Kyle asked Iz to the dance." Michael tells me the next day as we're doing our homework at the Crash. I smile, it seems he took my advice to heart. _Too bad I can't take his._

"So she's flying back again in two weeks? Her parents must _really_ miss her if they're willing to pay so much for all these trips of hers." I say, knowing that if Philip would even try to get Isabel to cut down on her trips home, Diane would have his hide.

"Do you think Kyle really likes Iz?" Michael asks me as he scratches his eyebrow.

"Well, he didn't ask her to the dance for nothing." I turn to Michael only to see him having a rather uncomfortable look on his face. "Oh, no. You're not going to pull the over-protective brother act now, are you? Kyle is your best friend, he won't hurt Izzie, you know that."

Michael frowns. "No I wasn't. And you're my best friend, Liz. I was just thinking that it was going to be a little awkward tagging along with them to the dance, since they'll be on a date."

"I suppose." I say as I get off of my stool and walk to the other side of the counter to fix us some sundaes.

"Well you're not going with anyone are you? Why don't we just go together?"

"You mean just as friends?" I ask around the lump in my throat as I try to act as casual as possible as I set his ice cream down in front of him.

He looks over at me for a second, his face completely expressionless, before turning back to his ice cream and using his spoon to shove the sprinkles back and forth. An almost sad smile flickering across his face as he answers.

"Yeah...Just as friends." _Is it me or did Michael just sound a little disappointed?_

"Sure, that would be nice."

He leaves soon after, leaving me to obsess over that conversation the entire night.

Was Kyle right, does Michael feel that way about me too?

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**In the reviews for last chapter someone commented that Michael and Liz's relationship was developing a little (too) slowly. I had always intended to make it go this slowly, my first draft started their relationship in this chapter, but it has been moved up to the next one (probably). So I figured I would explain why I am making things go at this pace. I wanted Liz and Michael to become friends first in this story, so they could really get to know one another which they didn't really in the show at the point where I started my story. I don't think they could really see each other for who they are if they didn't. And then of course, admitting you're in love with your best friend is one thing, acting on those feelings is another....**

**I hope I'll be back soon. And to everyone who also has to suffer the horrors that are final examinations: Good Luck!!!!**

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	14. Affaires Of The Heart

**Wow, it's been four months since I updated. I'm ashamed really :P. Sorry for the long wait, but I've just been so busy with finals and then there was graduation and my summerjob ended up being a lot more work than I thought. I had some problems also with how to get Michael and Liz together. I haven't written romance before and I didn't really think that big romantic gestures suited Mi/L in this story. I hope you'll enjoy reading it and please review!**_

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Chapter Fourteen

_Affaires De Coeur_

_Affairs Of The Heart_

"Stop doing that Liz!" Isabel says as she slaps my hand away from where it was fidgeting with some curly ringlets that fell along the side of my face. "It took me nearly an hour to put your hair up like that, if you keep touching it you'll ruin it."

"Sorry Iz." I sigh as I look at my appearance in her full length mirror, wondering for the third time if maybe Isabel had been right about my dress being too simple. It is not that I don't look nice, because I do and I still like the dress, but then I look at Isabel and suddenly my nice doesn't seem to cut it next to her gorgeous.

I swallow deeply when I realize I'm nervous before chastising myself for feeling that way. I have nothing to be nervous about. Michael and I are just going as friends, even if he did feel more than just friendly feelings for me, that doesn't mean that anything is going to happen. And if it did shouldn't I just feel glad about it?

"So, you and Kyle." I say as I turn back to Isabel. Nothing like the subject of your friends' love life to take your mind off of your own non existent one. I can't help but smile a little when I see Isabel's cheeks redden.

"He really likes you, you know." I tell her when she simply looks away but doesn't answer. "And I mean _really_ likes you, Iz." I add when Isabel tries avoids my eyes.

"I-I know, Liz. I really like him too." I frown as I take in just how fragile her voice sounds, like she is about to cry. I hadn't meant to upset her, I simply wanted to tease her a bit and set up a few ground rules for tonight. We were supposed to go to the dance separately, but Michael has no transport except his motorcycle and dad needed the car tonight, so we decided that going together wasn't so bad after all, though Michael made me promise to tell his sister that if she was even remotely fond of Kyle they should make sure they didn't decide to play tonsil hockey anywhere within his line of sight.

"Izzie. Is something wrong?" I ask her uncertainly.

Isabel lets out a huge sigh as she sits down on her bed. "No…Yes. I don't know, Liz. I really like Kyle, more than I thought I ever would. We talk almost every day. He's great really, he makes me feel like I'm normal, you know. It's just that…" She trails off as she puts her head in her hands.

"It's just what, hon?" I ask as I sit next to her on the bed, putting my arm around her shoulders as I do so. At first I found it a bit strange just how fast Kyle and Iz's feelings were developing after he asked her to the dance, but I could see just how much happier Kyle had been these past few weeks and how much lighter Izzie sounded on the phone, as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

It seemed that weight decided to drop back down tonight with full force.

"It's just, Alex and I never really had a chance to ever really be together – and I know that's mostly my fault – and I just feel like being happy with one of his friends is betraying him somehow. And then I feel like I'm betraying Kyle too for feeling that way." She only just about finishes her sentence before she starts crying.

"Oh, Iz." I sigh as I hug her tightly. "Alex loved you. He wouldn't want you to stand still in life, he'd want you to move on and be happy. And Kyle knows how much Alex meant to you, he knows he'll always have a place in your heart, he'd never hold that against you."

"You think so?" She asks me uncertainly.

I nod, as I wipe the tearstains from her cheeks ."I know so." I tell her, Kyle told me so only a few days ago.

"Yeah?" She says as a tremulous smile appears on her face.

"Yeah." I say before sending her off to the bathroom to fix her make-up. Luckily it wasn't too badly smudged. Thank God for waterproof mascara.

"Are you alright?" I ask her as she re-enters her bedroom.

"Yes, I'm okay." She answers, still sniffling a little, before crushing me to her in a fierce hug. "Thanks Liz."

I smile against her shoulder. "You're welcome."

"If they play even one Britney Spears song, I am out of there." Michael informs us from the backseat of the car.

Kyle, Isabel and I laugh. "Duly noted." I tell him as I smile before looking back out of the window. I can still feel my cheeks burn a little from when Michael had told me I looked beautiful when we were waiting for Kyle to stop drooling over Isabel and start the car.

When we finally get to the gym we find that the homecoming committee had gone a bit overboard with the decorations, practically every inch of the hall is cover in silly string and colored paper wreaths. There are already a mass of people inside and the stereo boxes are blaring out a song from some cheesy boy band that I don't know the name of. They all sound the same, anyway.

"Alright, people." Isabel says, basically hopping up and down with excitement, "Let's dance."

I laugh as Kyle is completely caught off guard and almost trips over his own feet as Isabel drags him out to the dance floor.

"I was designed to be a soldier, Liz. I'm supposed to fight wars, not to know the foxtrot or the waltz or whatever, so if I step on your feet you can't hold it against me." Michael tells me as he turns to me with a slight smirk on his face.

I smirk back as he holds out his arm for me to take. "Yes Sir!" I say as I mock salute him before taking his arm and following him to an empty spot on the floor.

"Are you sure you're okay, Liz?" Michael asks me as we lean against the outer wall of the gym. About ten minutes into the dance my mind became flooded again with the emotions of what I can guess was almost the entire student body present in that hall.

"Yes, I'm alright. Just give me a minute." I tell him reassuringly. I had already sent Kyle and Isabel back inside, but Michael insisted that he'd stay with me.

"It's getting better, isn't it? I mean it seems as though it doesn't last as long as it used to."

I nod. "I'm learning to control it better. Hopefully I'll have enough control by the time we leave for college so I won't have any of these episodes anymore."

"That's good." Michael tells me, a frown marring his features, "I don't like seeing you in pain."

"It isn't the most enjoyable feeling in the world." I agree.

He chuckles. "Do you want to go back?" He asks.

"No." I say before grabbing his hand. "Let's go for a walk."

I sigh as I look around the deserted park, slouching a bit on the weathered wooden bench that we're sitting on. "I always liked this place." I tell Michael as my eye wanders over to the small playground on the left.

"Alex and I used to spend ages on those swings." I can feel a wistful smile forming on my face. "We used to bet candies on which one of us could get the highest."

"Yeah?" Michael simply asks. He has got that look on his face that he often gets when I talk about my childhood; curiosity and interest with just a hint of sadness.

"Mmmhmm." I say as I feel a real smile lighting up my face at the memory and I realize that it's the first time in the nine months since Alex died that I can think of him without hurting. "Alex was a bit of a geek, even at six years old, he called his swing the Enterprise."

I hear Michael chuckle beside me. "That sounds like him."

"I hated this place when I was a kid." He says after a few moments silence.

"Why?" I ask as I turn to watch him.

He shrugs and looks down at his hands. "I used to come here and watch all the happy families picknick and play, Max and Isabel too, and I was jealous. Hank wasn't exactly the father figure little alien boys dream of, you know. To me, this place represented everything I could never have and I hated it."

"I'm sorry, Michael." I whisper as I squeeze his hand. "Sometimes I wish I could just take all of that bad stuff away for you."

He doesn't answer, just simply squeezes my hand and smiles slightly.

"I know it's not the same as having a real mom and dad and growing up with them and everything, but you do have a family, you know. Kyle, Isabel and I a-and even sheriff Valenti, we're your family and you're ours. We love you, Michael. I-I love you."

Michael suddenly looks at me intently and I thank the lord that the lighting in the park is terrible as I feel my cheeks redden. That declaration sounded like at lot more than a simple statement of affection between friends.

"I-I meant that you – I – you…" I stutter flustered as I try to find the right thing to say.

Before I can Michael kisses me.

"Liz?" He asks me uncertainly after a few seconds.

"Uhuh?" I answer, still a bit stunned. _Did Michael just kiss me?_

"Are – Are you okay?"

"Uhuh."

"Liz! Stop using sound to answer and use your damn words!" He growls as he stands up, though I can hear the panic in his voice. "A-am I supposed to be apologizing now? Did – Did I read this situation wrong, don't you…You did kiss me back didn't you?" His voice sounds almost desperate now.

I swallow harshly past the lump in my throat. "Yes. I did." I say as I look up at him nervously while fidgeting with the hem of my dress.

"So you do…" He trails off as he sits down beside me again. I feel awfully comforted by the fact that he looks just as nervous as I feel.

I feel myself nodding before I can come up with the courage to speak. "Yes. I-I love you, Michael." I say before swallowing thickly. "Do – Do you…?" I ask around my heart, which is pounding loudly in my throat, now it's my time to look down at my hands.

I jump a little as I feel him pressing a light kiss to my temple, a gesture which he usually uses to give me some comfort when I'm upset. "I wouldn't have done it if I didn't, Liz."

"Yeah?" I ask hopefully as I turn to look at him again.

Michael gives me a slight smile as he gently bumps his shoulder into mine. "Yeah." He shrugs. " 'Course I love you, you're Liz Parker." He says as if that explains it.

I snort, but his words ease my anxiety.

"So..Now what?" I ask.

"Well, I'd kind of like to do that again, if that's okay with you." Michael teases, the tension that was there only a minute ago seems to have dissipated.

I smile, but gently push him back when he moves closer to me again. "No, I mean does this mean that we're t-together?" I ask, suddenly incredibly nervous again, which is stupid really, I know. Michael just told me he loved me, for crying out loud.

"Do you want to be?" He asks me.

I cast my eyes downward, feeling shy on top of nervous now. "Well, yes. Do you?"

"Yeah."

"So we're…?" I ask, the question clear in my voice.

"Yes. We're together." As Michael smiles at me I can feel my own smile stretching my face.

"Just promise me one thing, Michael."

He looks a bit worried now. "What, Liz?"

"If something went wrong- if we split up, for whatever reason –" Michael looks like he's about to interrupt, but I quickly cut him off. "I don't want that to happen, but you never know Michael, just look at Max and Maria. You have to promise me that we'd still be friends, Michael. Because I-I don't want to lose you, I just can't."

"You won't, Liz." Michael tells me as he puts his arm around my shoulder. "I promise."

We sit there half hugging each other before he speaks again. "So, can I kiss you now?"

I laugh before pressing my lips to his.

I smile as I listen to Isabel rambling on about the homecoming dance, perfectly content to just drive and listen to Isabel gush about her first real date with Kyle, while I drive her to the airport. I didn't like that she had to go already, just one day after the dance, but she had a term paper to get to. I had offered to drive, since Kyle and Michael had to work and they both needed the money.

"So, where did you and Michael get off to? We didn't see you again after you went outside."

I can already feel myself start to blush. "We uh- we went to the park."

"And?" Isabel asks with a hint of excitement in her voice, apparently my complexion had already conveyed that at least _something_ happened.

"We kissed." I blurt out, though I have to laugh when Isabel starts squealing.

"Oh finally!" She screams, before hastily pulling out her cell phone and staring to type like a maniac.

I frown. "What are you doing?"

"Texting Kyle." She answers almost absentmindedly.

"To tell him what?" I ask, utterly confused. She called him not ten minutes ago to say goodbye.

"That he owes me ten bucks."

"Why?"

"We had a bet to see how long it would take you two idiots to come to your senses." Isabel says as she smirks at me and dumps her cell phone back in her hand bag.

"I won."

* * *

**Okay, so that's it for now. Only three more chapters to go! My summer job ends in three weeks and after that I'll spend a lot of time to get out the last three chapters, because I want MTG finished before I go off to England for college so I can start the sequel to this story once I've gotten used to everything. It will be called Before I Sleep. Have a good holiday everyone!**


	15. Friday's Alright For Fighting

**So I was reading the last chapter of MTG on fanfiction last week when I noticed that all my scene dividers had dissappeared! Grrrrrr :(. I used letters this time, so I hope that's remedied. So, here we have the fifteenth chapter, enjoy!**_

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Chapter Fifteen

_Vendredi Bien Pour La Lutte Contre_

_Friday's Alright For Fighting_

I feel a frown marring my face as I watch a familiar man enter the UFO centre across the street. The man has made me feel uneasy from the moment I met him, knowing he was with the FBI and that he could be a threat to Michael and Isabel, but it's what I accidently snatched from his mind back when my powers were only just emerging that's made agent Thomas Rodes a face I won't forget for a very long time.

"Kyle?" I walk back to the table where Kyle and Michael are playing some kind of card game to pass the time until my shift ends. "I thought your dad said that the murder of that FBI guy who was found in the desert was solved a few weeks ago."

"Yes, he did. Why?" He asks me slowly, drawing out the why as his gaze becomes concerned when he looks at the expression on my face.

"Then why is the FBI agent who investigated it still hanging around?" I ask as my eyes stray back to the entrance of the UFO centre.

Kyle shrugs his shoulders before taking a sip of his coke. "Maybe he stayed to see the sights. Roswell is a tourist town after all."

"Three weeks after the fact? Roswell maybe a tourist trap, but it's not exactly a large town, you'd think he'd already seen everything by the time the case was solved." I say a bit incredulously as I make eye contact with Michael, who has been unnaturally quiet during our conversation. "What do you make of all of this?"

"It is a bit suspicious. Maybe we should check him out, look around his motel room when he's out." He answers his voice low so the customers around us can't hear.

I'm not really comfortable with that plan, snooping around in a Federal agent's room seems like asking for trouble.

Apparently Kyle seems to have the same idea. "Maybe we shouldn't." He says in the same low voice as Michael just did. It is a testament to how much we have all changed that Michael doesn't immediately try to protest, but just sits back to hear what Kyle has got to say.

"There hasn't been any _funny_ business for ages. Even if that Fed was here to investigate anything otherworldly, so to speak, he wouldn't be able to find anything incriminating on us. Aside from Max' assault on Liz our lives have been the same as any teen in this town, but as soon as we'd start tailing the guy and searching his room, he might just get what he came for, if he came here to catch aliens in the first place that is. Isabel is safe in San Francisco, Max can't do anything because he's still being monitored by the police and Liz here has finally gotten her Vulcan mind melding issue under control. I say we go about our lives like we always do and if the agent does come around asking questions, well, we'll just deal with it then."

Michael looks at me to see if I agree."I think Kyle's right, keeping our heads down is probably the wisest move."

Michael sighs, before scrubbing his face with his hands. "Alright. Then that's what we'll do."

POLARPOLARPOLARPOLARPOLAR

Agent Thomas Rodes didn't leave a few days after our talk, nor the following week, and even though his continued presence in Roswell was highly suspicious, we were far too busy to really worry about his intentions. Finals had arrived and Michael, Kyle and I spent most of our time locked in Michael's small apartment trying to cram thousands of useless facts into our heads.

"So, how did it go?" I ask as Michael and Kyle finally make their way over to me through the crowd of seniors that's exiting the gym, I was excused early since I had already finished halfway through our allotted time. Today were our final exams, Biology for Michael and I and Spanish for Kyle.

Michael smiles at me and I let out a relieved sigh. He'd been incredibly worried about this exam, seeing as it was the only subject that Michael ever needed my help with.

"Spanish sucks." Kyle says before dropping himself on the picnic bench next to me. "I think I tanked it."

"Oh, I'm sorry Kyle." I say as I rub his shoulder in comfort. "Maybe it won't be that bad, besides Spanish was only an elective for you, right? So even if you did flunk it, you'd still graduate."

"Yeah, man. It's not the end of the world." Michael says as he takes the seat opposite us. "At least finals are over. We're free!"

Kyle nods, his spirits lifted somewhat. "Yeah, you guys are right. So chilli fries, hamburgers with extra onions and pie to celebrate?" He asks us eagerly.

Michael snorts as he stands up. "And you say my Tabasco habit is disgusting."

"It is!"

POLARPOLARPOLARPOLARPOLAR

When we reach the Crashdown an unfamiliar sight greets us. Next to the curb, right in front of the entrance a long sleek black limousine is parked. The three of us stand there for a few minutes, just staring at it, wondering just who that car could possibly belong to before curiosity gets the better of us and we decide to enter only to see the silhouette of a very familiar girl.

"Maria?" Kyle asks incredulously.

"Kyle!" Maria shrieks as she turns to us, before scrambling off her seat to hug him tightly. Michael and I look at each other, shock evident on both our faces.

Maria looked so different. Her hair a few shades blonder, her make-up heavier and her clothes clingier than I've ever seen, but at the same time she had an air of glamour and, well, slight arrogance about her. It seems we aren't the only ones that have changed.

"Michael, Liz." Maria greets us with a curt nod, but the smile on her face is welcoming. "So how have you all been?"

I shrug, slightly dazed by the sudden return of an old friend that I thought I might never see again, seeing as how we left things. "Okay, I guess. We just finished finals. How are you, Maria?"

Her entire face lights up and I know she's just been waiting for this question. "Oh, I'm fabulous! I just finished recording my first album; it'll be out in August. Mom wanted some peace and quiet, so we decided to stay here in Roswell until the release date."

"Wow, your own record deal, that's really something." Kyle says, before a strained silence fall over our group.

"I know, right!" Maria continues excitedly, before turning to me. "Liz, hon, do you think you could go out to eat with me tonight? I really want to talk to you."

"Uhm...I guess." I answer uncertainly. I am happy for Maria, but her return is an intrusion into the way of life we've become accustomed to since the incident with Max, a life that revolves around a strong bond that was forged between myself, Michael, Kyle and Isabel. A bond that holds no place for Maria. She hasn't been in contact with us these past six months, right now she feels like little more than a stranger to me. I have absolutely no idea what to say to her, never mind how to tell her that I'm dating her ex-boyfriend.

"Great! I'll meet you at eight at senior Chow's?" She says, before brushing past us out the doors and getting back into her limo.

"So, I guess we're not going to the movies tonight?" Michaels asks as he turns to me.

"Oh my God, our date! I completely forgot, I'm sorry. I can call her, see if she can-"

Michael cuts me off. "It's fine, Liz. We'll go tomorrow. I'll just hang out with Kyle tonight."

I burst out laughing as Kyle promptly seizes my boyfriend in a possessive hug, while fluttering his eyelashes up at Michael and saying: "Don't worry, miss. I'll take really good care him."

"Get off me, midget!" Michael growls, but I can hear laughter in his voice. "So, how about we eat that disgusting celebration meal Shorty here suggested?"

POLARPOLARPOLARPOLARPOLAR

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I ask as one of the waiters brings me my order of dim sum. Maria has kept up a steady stream of insignificant babble ever since we sat down and though I'm anxious to hear just what it was she wanted to talk to me about so badly, I'm glad she's finally fallen quiet as our food arrived; The constant string of noise was starting to grate on my nerves.

"I-uh I...well I just-I...Look New York has been great, this record deal id everything I've ever dreamed of, but agents and record label people don't exactly make the best of friends and I haven't had time to meet many new people my age in the city since I've been so busy. Frankly, it was a bit lonely and it made me realize just how much I miss you as a friend." Maria finishes in a rush.

"So." I drawl. "You want us to be friends again?"

Maria nods. "I've missed you, Liz. I just want us to go back to the way we were before everything that happened with Alex."

I sigh. I was sort of expecting this, but it has still left me a bit speechless. I'm not sure what to say. On the on hand Maria is my oldest friend now that Alex is gone, but on the other hand, she hasn't been a very good friend for a very long time and if I'm completely honest with myself, I haven't really missed her that much aside from the occasional bout of nostalgia.

"Look, Maria, I can't go back to the way things were. Things between us were falling apart a long time before Alex died." I tell her sadly. "But maybe we could start over?"

"I'd like that." Maria says as a bright smile graces her face.

"Then first you need to understand a few things, Maria. A lot has happened since you left. Kyle, Isabel, Michael and I have grown very close since you've been gone; _they _are my best friends now. So when I say that you and I will start over, I really mean starting over and not that you can just jump back into the group and expect everything be like it used to be." I tell her. It may be a bit harsh, but I want her to know that I won't be the friend she used to have. I'm not going to blindly do what she tells me just to avoid her getting mad. "Like I said, Kyle, Michael and Izzie are practically my family now, the four of us are closer than we ever were before. Especially now that Kyle and Izzie are together and Michael and-"

Maria's head shoots up. "Michael is dating someone? As in Michael Guerin, grouchy and distant and with serious commitment issues, that Michael? Who?" She asks disbelieving.

My stomach sinks at her reaction. I can feel Hurricane DeLuca already gearing up for a fight. Somehow I think my next revelation isn't going to benefit our new budding friendship.

"Me. Michael and I have been together for about two months now." I state calmly, looking Maria straight in the eye. Michael and she haven't been together in almost eight months, we've done absolutely nothing wrong.

"You? Michael is dating you, his ex' best friend? But you are so not his type, you're Liz Parker, you're vanilla!" She states angrily.

I scowl as I look at Maria. Back in the day I would've written these kinds of statements off as Maria just being tactless and not thinking that it might be hurtful, but now I'm not going to just take this from her.

"You and Michael broke up a long time ago and like I said, things have changed. You don't know Michael or myself as well as you think you do Maria! Michael and I are together and if you want this friendship to work, you are just going to have to accept it." I tell her, keeping my voice as calm and collected as I can.

Maria spends the next few minutes just staring at me, a disbelieving expression still staining her features. "I-I can't deal with this." She states before storming out of the restaurant, leaving me to pay the bill.

I take out my cell once I'm outside and type in Michael's number. It may be too late to still go to the movies, but it's not too late to go and have some fun with my friends.

"Hey, Lizzie. How'd it go with Maria?" He asks as he answers. I can hear the sounds of Kyle talking to someone in the distance.

I sigh. "Oh, just swell."

"What happened?" He sounds a bit worried.

"Nothing serious. We'd just agreed to try and be friends again, but when I told her about us she freaked."

"Saw that one coming."

I sigh again. "Yeah, I know. Are you at the apartment or at Kyle's?"

"Kyle's." Michael answers. "We were supposed to watch Braveheart, but before I'd even hit play Isabel called, so instead I've already suffered through an hour of Kyle's lame attempts at flirting and the two of them making verbal goo-goo eyes at each other and they're still on the phone."

"_Hey, stop complaining Guerin! At least you only have to hear it. I have to look at you and Liz every day, at least you have never walked in on me and your sister making out!" _I laugh as I hear Kyle shouting through the phone.

"Yeah, but Liz isn't your sister." Michael tells him. I can feel my heart squeeze together when I hear Kyle answer that I might as well be.

"You want me to come pick you up?" Michael asks as he reverts his attention back to me.

"Nah. Kyle's house is not that far from here. I'll walk."

"You sure? It's not very safe at night, you know."

I snort. "Relax. This is Roswell we're talking about, it's so safe that the Sherriff's department gets into more trouble out of sheer boredom than that they fight crime, and besides I'm nearly there already."

Now it's Michael's turn to snort. "This from the girl who was attacked by her psychotic ex this year."

I laugh. "Well you can stop worrying, I'm at the door. Are you going to let me in? These streets are very dangerous at night, you know." I say with a smirk as my boyfriend's exasperated face comes into view.

POLARPOLARPOLARPOLARPOLAR

"So which one do you want to see?" I ask Michael the next night as we look at the board of the movie theatre to see what's playing.

Michael shrugs. "I don't really care, they all sound fine, just as long as it's not a chick flick." I smile as I feel his thumb absentmindedly graze over the knuckles of my hand that he's holding. We're both not big fans of public displays of affection, but the handholding is something I do like. It makes me feel safe and cared for without being crowded.

"How about that one?" I ask as I point out an action movie that only came out at the beginning of this week. "It got great reviews from TV guide."

"Sure. Just don't hog the popcorn this time." He says with a smirk as he guides me over to the box office.

"Me, hogging?" I say indignant. "That's a bit rich coming from you given the last time we were here."

"What?" He asks innocently.

"You stole my slushie!"

"You told me I could have it!"

"I told you you could have a sip, next thing I know the cup is empty!"

Michael is about to reply when we hear a quiet cough. Michael closes his mouth as we both turn sheepishly to the box office attendant who is watching us with a bemused expression on his face.

"Do you want to buy some tickets or what?"

POLARPOLAR

"Liz?" I look from cleaning the espresso machine to see Maria looking at me anxiously.

"Maria, how did you get in?" I could've sworn I'd locked the doors already.

"I still have a key." She says as she jingles them in front of me. I can hear Michael and Kyle in the back annoying each other as they do inventory.

"What do you want?" I ask as I take the keys she's still holding in front of my face and put them in the pocket of my uniform.

She sighs and runs a hand through her now overly blond hair. "To apologize. I had no right to freak out about Michael and you. We're not together anymore, I have no claim over him. It's just, back when you two started hanging out I was so afraid that I was losing him to you and now I come back and what I feared back then has actually happened. My pride took a bit of a blow and I took it out on you. I am sorry and I do want us do try and be friends, if you still want to that is."

"I meant what I said yesterday, Maria." I tell her as I scrutinize her face, she really does seem to be sorry. "I'm done being the sidekick in the Maria DeLuca show. If we do this, things between us have got to change and I can't just jump back into a friendship with you, it has to go slow."

Maria nods sadly. "I know, but I want to try."

"Okay. Then I'll try too." I say a I squeeze her fidgeting hands. "Look how about we go out for some coffee next week and then we can keep in touch by e-mail when you go back to New York and we'll just see how it goes until we come back for Christmas vacation?"

Maria smiles at me. "Sounds like a plan." She says. "Next Tuesday?"

"Can't. Isabel, Kyle, Michael and I are driving up to Disneyland for a few days to celebrate the end of finals. But I'll be back on Saturday. Cappuccinos at Starbucks at the mall at three?"

"I'll be there."

I sigh as I watch her walk back out the diner, hoping that letting Maria DeLuca back in my life won't turn out to be a mistake.

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**Two more chapters to go! The next one will be out sometime next week. I just wanted to thank everyone who has already reviewed again! You make the agonising days in which no inspiration will come and those late hours of the night when it does strike worth it, so thanks again everyone!**


	16. The Darkness Is Coming

**Hi guys, sorry for the extremely long delay, but my life has been completely turned upside down these past few months. I moved to another country for Uni and at the end of september my stepfather died of cancer. As you can imagine I have been a bit preoccupied with other things than writing. But here it is, finally! We're almost at the end of this story, one more chapter to go after this one! I'll be starting the sequal: Before I Sleep in the summer. I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Reviews are always welcome! **_

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Chapter Sixteen

_L'Obscurité Est à Venir_

_The Darkness Is Coming_

"Do you think I did the right thing?" Michael asks me after a few minutes.

We'd covered about half the way to Orlando when Michael relieved Kyle of driving about an hour ago. When the Buddhist had finally fallen asleep on Isabel's shoulder, who had already been dozing, Michael finally came clean about the confrontation between him and Max that I had already expected had happened. My dad had been so gracious to lend us the Crash's supply van. When I came to pick Michael up, I'd seen Max tear out of the driveway of Michael's apartment complex, but Michael hadn't seemed to want to talk about it with his sister in the car, who luckily hadn't noticed her other brother leaving in such a hurry. After trying, but failing, to keep his temper in check while explaining what had happened, Michael finally decided to show me instead. That's one of the perks of being half-alien, I guess, feeling and experiencing past events, though intense, is so much clearer emotionally than just hearing about them from others.

"_Ever heard of knocking, Maxwell?" Michael asked irate when he noticed his brother standing there, watching him pack. He didn't know what pissed him off more; the fact that Max had just barged into his house like he owned the place, or the fact that he hadn't even noticed his estranged brother come in._

"_Going somewhere?" Max asked quietly. Michael felt a pang of satisfaction when he heard a hint of regret in his brother's voice._

"_You know I am Maxwell. I'm sure Isabel told you where we were going. You're not invited if that wasn't clear enough. Liz is going to be here any minute so why don't we just skip the small talk and jump right to the question of what the hell you are doing here."_

"_We have a problem." Max told him, looking very nervous, an expression Michael hadn't seen on his face in quite a while._

_Michael sighed. "Of course we do." He wondered why he hadn't expected something like this sooner. They were trying to move on with their lives without him, of course Max had to find a way to stop that from happening. "And what would that problem be Max? Do you feel left behind, wronged that your siblings have actually found peace and happiness and you have no part in it? Well, if that's the case then sorry bro, but you screwed your life up royally all by yourself. You made your bed, be man enough to lie in it." He bit out angrily as he moved on with packing the rest of his duffel bag._

_Max looked positively seething. "No that's not it, Michael. Though, on that subject, when are you ever going to let that go? Don't you think you've punished me enough? I made one stupid mistake while I was dru-"_

"_STUPID MISTAKE? LET IT GO?" Michael bellowed as he turned around to face his brother once again. "That drunken mistake would've cost Liz her life if I hadn't come back, Maxwell. And until you show some damn remorse about what you did instead of just annoyance about how you've been treated since, neither I nor Liz will come anywhere near you."_

"_Is that why you are together, to get back at me?" _

_Michael felt his anger triple, but tried to keep himself in check. They'd never get to Florida if Liz found he'd strangled his brother. "No. I love Liz, and however hard you may find it to believe this, Liz loves me too. Now if that was all, I'd like to finish packing for my trip." Michael turned to head to his bedroom, feeling that this was enough of a dismissal._

"_It wasn't." Max answered, following him into the room. "That's not why I came here, Michael. We need to call a meeting, we're in big trouble."_

"_Why?" He asks anxiously. "What have you done this time?" _

_Max scowled. "Why do you automatically assume that it's something I've done? I'm not the troublemaker in this family!"_

"_You really think that?" Michael scoffed. "I may have had some run ins with the law over the years, but I'm not the one who committed assault and armed robbery within a period of eight months, Max. So why don't you just tell me which of your crazy schemes went wrong this time, so I can yell at you for being such a stupid selfish ass...again."_

"_I needed that ship to save my son, Michael, your nephew, something you refused to help me with remember?"_

_He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever Max. Get to the point, I don't want you here when Liz gets here."_

"_The special unit has been reinstated." Max tells him, the anxiety present in his eyes convincing Michael that he isn't lying._

"_H-how do you know that?" Michael asks, finally putting down his clothes, giving his brother his full attention. _

"_There's an FBI agent snooping around town, he came into the UFO centre this morning, asking questions about the shooting at the Crash, Alex, Liz, Utah...They know who we are Michael. We need to do something, scare him off or something. We need to call a meeting...NOW."_

_Michael allowed himself to relax just slightly, leave it to Max to see one nosy FBI agent and immediately foresee their own demise. "Agent Rhodes, right?"He asked his brother. "What did you tell him?" He asked when Max nodded._

"_Nothing, of course! Why are you staying so calm? We need to get to work on this, right this minute Michael."_

"_Good. Keep it that way." Michael said. "We'll deal with it after we get back. Don't do anything stupid. In fact don't do anything at all, knowing you, you'd screw yourself and us in the process anyway."_

_Max stared at him incredulously. "Have you not heard a word I said? DO NOTHING? There's an FBI agent after us!"_

"_He's not after us, Max, at least not yet. We've known he's been looking for information for a while now. But as long as we keep our heads down, he's never going to be able to find proof about who we are."_

"_That's your plan, sticking your heads in the sand?"_

_Michael sighed. "He'll get tired of searching soon enough, if there's nothing to find, Max. So I suggest you don't do anything else that will focus his attention on you. We'll deal with everything when we get back."_

_Max sputtered. "You're not serious?"_

"_I am Max. And for your information, you are not our leader, nor our king, so when we do get back and we find that we do need to deal with the situation, don't expect to be in charge, or that your opinion will even account for much."_

"_But Michael, listen to me, you can't just-"_

"_I did listen to you Max. Now it's time for you to listen! I told you we would deal with it later. Now it's time for you to leave."_

"_But.." Max sputtered again._

"_No buts Max, you've had your say! Now get out!" Michael told his brother, opening the front door to show him out._

"_You'll regret this Michael. You're making a stupid mistake." Max fumed as he moved past him._

"_Just make sure you don't make any more stupid mistakes!" Michael bellowed after him._

"So, do you think I did the right thing, sending him away?"

I stay silent for a few more moments, trying to choose my words carefully. "I think Max needs to learn that we won't jump at his every whim. You were right to tell him to wait for us before doing anything."

Michaels sighs as he takes a left turn. "I feel a but coming on."

"Well, Max doesn't really have the best track record when it comes to listening to his family." I say, frowning as I look out the window, watching the sun kissed landscape zip by. "And if that agent is starting to interrogate people, then maybe we really do need to figure out a way to see just what he wants."

"Do you think we should tell Izzie and Kyle?" He asks me scratching his eyebrow, a tell tale sign that he's worrying a lot more than he wants to let on.

"Maybe we should wait until we're heading back to Roswell, just because we're going to have this hanging over our heads now doesn't mean that they can't still have a care-free vacation." I tell him, glancing at my sleeping friends through the rear-view mirror. "Max is going to do what he wants to anyway, calling a meeting wouldn't have changed that. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and he'll actually listen for once. Nothing we can do about it now." I shrug, selfishly thinking that if Max does do something stupid while we're away, we'll have an airtight alibi and won't be under any suspicion. I feel bad for Michael though, the first time he and Max actually talk it's about stuff like this.

"I guess you're right." Michael answers. "Besides, whatever happens, we'll get through it, right?"

"Of course we will." I tell him, but deep down I know that I don't really believe that. _Alex didn't_, a small voice keeps reminding me every time I try to make myself believe it.

The entire trip I keep waiting for Isabel to come into my room, crying, saying Max is missing, or has been arrested.

"Why doesn't Liz just use her powers on him?" Max's annoyed voice comes over the arguing voices of Isabel and Michael.

We've been out at the quarry for over an hour now, trying to figure out the best way to find out just what Agent Rhodes endgame is and just who he is working for. Kyle and I already shut down the intimidation approach that Max suggested. Michael wanted to distract him, so we could search his room, but as Isabel mentioned, the problem with that was that most files would probably be on a computer, which would be password protected, and there was just no way that we could crack it before he came back to his room.

I had hoped that the situation with the agent would resolve itself. To both my and Michael's surprise, Max actually behaved himself. But when we got home we soon found that agent Rhodes had been busy. He'd done a good job trying to leave as little of himself behind when searching Michael's apartment and my room, if I hadn't had my power I may never have noticed he'd been there. Things had been moved in both places, but in such a subtle manner that one could easily dismiss a magazine being on the coffee table instead of the desk as faulty memory, but the minute I stepped into Michael's apartment I could feel such a strong sense of unease that just couldn't be ignored. It only took touching the kitchen counter to get a clear visual of Rhodes ransacking the place looking for something. The same thing happened at my house.

Though the thought of Rhodes looking through my things makes me incredibly uneasy, and scared, the thought of going up against an FBI agent scares me even more.

"What do you mean?" I ask him hesitantly. The look in his eyes is making me very uncomfortable.

"Just look inside his head, see what he's after, and if it's bad for us try to sway him towards another direction." He says with a shrug.

"You mean mind-warp him?" I ask, my insides growing cold. The rest of the group remain silent, though I can see a distressed Isabel moving closer to Kyle and I can feel Michael standing behind me.

"You can't mind-warp Liz. Just get in there, erase what needs to be erased and get out. He'll just forget why he's here, no harm done."

"No harm done?" I ask, my chest constricting. "It certainly harmed Alex."

I can hear Isabel gasp a few feet away, feel Michael's hand coming to rest on my shoulder.

Max shrugs again, seemingly unaware of the growing tension all around us. "That was different, Liz. Tess did that for months, you'd just do it this once. It's the only way."

"No." I say, shaking my head vigorously. "I won't do it. I'm not mind-raping some guy just to save our own asses!"

"Liz, I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation. This guy has been looking into our lives for a lot longer than we thought." Max says, sounding annoyed and slightly condescending, which just incenses me further.

"I understand perfectly fine Max Evans. But it's a thin line from once to save our lives to doing it for our own gain and I don't want to go anywhere near that line. It's what cost Alex his life! I can't believe you're even asking me this after everything that's happened! How dare you!"

Max doesn't say anything and the quarry is silent for a few moments, until the not so peaceful tranquillity is broken by Kyle clearing his throat.

"Just to play Devil's advocate, but I don't think we have many other options. I'm not suggesting you mind-warp the guy." He says hastily as he sees my shocked and angry face turn in his direction. "But reading his mind might be the only way to learn something without incriminating ourselves."

I sigh and rub my eyes, knowing he is right and hating it. "Fine." I say. "I'll let my barriers down when he's around and see what I'll catch, but I'm not going to actively invade his mind for information."

Kyle nods. "Thanks Liz. I know this is hard."

Telepathy isn't as easy as they make it out to be in TV Series or Science fiction movies. It's not like you open your mind and can hear people's thoughts or emotions clearly. It's more like swimming through murky water, you don't know where you're going, you can't tell up from down or forwards from backwards.

Ever since I learned to control this unexpected, and if I'm honest, unwanted, power, I haven't used it at all. I don't like it. It's not even the whole invasion of privacy that I'm committing every time I do it, or the fact that I tend to hear the negative things, even though I still have issues with those two as well. No, what I really don't like is that it feels a bit like how I imagine drowning would feel. All these peoples thoughts overwhelm me, like the weight of water crushing down on me until all I can experience is their thoughts and emotions. It's like I disappear. Once that happens, it's so difficult to get centred again. I can't tell which way I'm supposed to go to make my way out of the darkness, I'm too deep down to see light coming from the surface. It's impossible to tell which way is up.

So imagine how difficult it is to find one guy's thoughts in that see, and then I haven't even mentioned the hardship of trying to decode that person's thoughts. That's another common misconception about telepathy, that everything is supposed to come through clear. It doesn't. People don't think in straight lines, they think in abstract and in visuals, especially memories are often visual, letting me believe that the first vision agent Thomas Rhodes gave me all those months ago was a memory. I checked his credentials, he used to be in the army, which would explain the war zone.

Unfortunately, visuals usually don't give you very much information, especially when you don't know the person you're reading.

But as I sit on a stool at the Crash, trying to catch a glimpse of Rhodes' thoughts my mouth falls open in shock as I see just who is supplying him with information. A cold makes its way through my entire being.

Whatever I had expected to find, this sure wasn't it.

"Miss Parker? What the hell are you doing in my motel room?"

"Miss Parker?" I snort, trying to keep my nerves under control. "Now, come on Thomas, you've ransacked my entire personal life and I've seen inside your head. I'm pretty sure we've moved past the surnames, don't you think?"

"What are you talking about...inside my head?" He looked around nervously, glancing at the desk where he'd left his gun before going to get the burger he still held in his left hand.

"Looking for this?" I ask as I put his gun and the empty magazine on the dresser next to the chair I'm sitting in before dropping the individual bullets on the ugly soiled green carpet. "Sorry, but I had to take a few precautions. I'm sure you already know that I don't have the best history when it comes to guns." I finish, a sardonic smile on my face. I have to admit that though scary, I find it oddly exhilarating.

"W-what do you want?" Rhodes says, still looking nervously around the room, before focussing on me. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you, Miss Parker. I have friends in high places. They'll come looking for me if I disappear!"

"We need to talk." I state calmly, feeling slightly like I'm in a James Bond movie. "About your so called friends."

"What about them?" Rhodes flusters.

"They're not who they say they are."

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**Please review! I'll try to get the last chapter out as soon as possible, but Uni has started up again, so it'll probably be a few more weeks, sorry**


	17. An End Is Just A Beginning You Can't See

_Chapter Seventeen_

_Une Fin N'est Qu'un Début Vous Ne Voyons Pas Encore_

_An End Is Only A Beginning You Can't See Yet_

"_So, he's in? You're sure?" Kyle asks after I've finished telling them what happened in the motel room._

_I nod. "Yes, I'm sure. He'll do what we planned."_

"_I still think it's a stupid idea to trust a Fed." Max grumbles from his seat at the small bar in Michael's kitchen. _

"_Yeah, well, I didn't see you come up with any brilliant plans to save the day." Michael grouches. He's been in a bad mood ever since we decided that I was to be the one to contact agent Rhodes. He still doesn't like the idea of me putting myself in the firing line, in case Rhodes flips on us, but unlike another alien boy I know, my boyfriend knows when to keep his grievances to himself._

_Max sighs at his brother. They haven't been getting along at all these past few days, not surprising, since they haven't really had a conversation this year that wasn't a fight, physical or verbal. _

"_Are you really sure that's who you saw?" Max asks as he turns to me._

_Kyle tells him to stop asking stupid questions over my frustrated growl. Max has been asking that same question at least twice an hour ever since I found out just who is pulling agent Rhodes' strings. It's a typical Max thing to do, push for answers and then when he gets a reply he doesn't like he wants to pretend that it isn't real. It's what he did when Alex died, and now we're all in potentially grave danger, he's doing it again. Frankly, it's pissing me off._

"_I still can't believe we're doing this." Max mutters as he rubs his hand across his unshaved jaw…_

**GRADUATION DAY 05:30 PM**

The fluorescent lights are doing their best to give my already weary mind a migraine, yet I can't make myself stare at anything else as I try to drown out the insistent beeping of heart monitors and mechanical lungs that filter through the hospital doors that we had not been allowed entry to. Isabel is pacing the length of the waiting room, sniffling every other second, trying to hold back tears. Max sits in one of the chairs opposite mine, looking everywhere but at us. Michael is unusually still, unmoving, as he leans against the broken coffee machine, his eyes fixed on the closed doors.

I keep my eyes on the slightly humming lights, though my eyes jump to the door every time someone walks through it. I know enough biology to know that Kyle's situation is dire, the fact that Sherriff Valenti was allowed to watch the surgery from the galleys says enough.

I keep my eyes focused on the lights as I try not to panic. Because I know, as I've known since we found Kyle lying on the school gym's floor in a pool of his own blood. The doctors won't be able to do anything.

If we don't find a way to perform a miracle Kyle will die.

And it will be all my fault.

**TWO DAYS BEFORE**

"Look, I get it, you're nervous. Hell, we're all nervous, but going over the plan yet again isn't going to help any. We all know what to do, what more can we do but wait for graduation day right now?" Kyle asks, exasperation filling his voice.

Max has been a fixed feature at our table in the Crash ever since we found out just what the Special Unit had been planning. I wasn't very happy about it, I still felt somewhat uncomfortable around him, especially since his controlling nature seems to have taken over again. Every day after closing he's gone over every little detail of our plan and of my visions, trying to find any holes in it, since he can't seem to grasp why this is happening.

Sometimes he really is an idiot.

"I'm still having trouble believing Cal is behind this, the dupes; yes, but Cal? He's loyal to the Royal Four remember?" Max tells us as he gets up again to pace. This is how it's been for the last three days, and to be honest, I am sick of it. It is not just is the fact that Max Evans is constantly questioning my judgement in interpreting my own power, but the fact that he seems to be falling back into the pattern of 'if I don't believe it, then it isn't happening' which he adopted during my investigation of Alex' death. That bad judgement led to him getting Tess pregnant and then letting her go and that is something I really don't like to see repeated.

"Max, we've been over this." Isabel says with a sigh as she sinks deeper into her seat next to me, "Yes, Cal has to be loyal to the Royal Four, but in case you have forgotten, they are the royals as well, and they really don't like us, so they aren't going to order him to stop any time soon I think."

"But I can't see why he would do this, what has he got against us?"

"Not us. You." Michael states simply, to which Max incredulously raises his eyebrows. "Max, you forced the man to give up any semblance of humanity for an attempt to get your son that he told you wouldn't work and it surprises you that the man has some less than cuddly feelings for you?"

"But I thought that they had this code in their DNA that wouldn't allow them to hurt us."

"He's not though, not directly." I say as Max finally takes a seat next to Kyle. "He was calling the shots in agent Rhodes' and subsequently the Special Unit's investigation. Technically, they were the ones that were going to hurt us. But that doesn't matter right now." I cut him off, when I see he wants to interrupt me, "What matters is that we've gone over this time and time again and that right now all we can do is trust that agent Rhodes has kept up his end of the deal. There's nothing we can do right now Max, we're all restless and worried, but your constant questioning is not helping, so unless you've got something new to add, I suggest we drop it for now."

Max still looks miffed, but at least he's quiet.

**GRADUATION DAY 06:45 PM**

I freeze as I see the agent's huddled figure standing in the doorway to the family room we've been assigned. Though it's currently empty as I finally convinced Max, Michael and Isabel that they needed something to eat.

"What are you doing here?" I try to keep the hostility out of my voice, but going by the look on agent Rhodes' face, I've failed miserably.

"I-I wanted to know how the boy was doing."

I can't stop the sniffle that comes out when I think about Kyle's condition. "He's still in surgery, but he's not doing very well. I can tell." I keep my voice as soft as possible, in case Michael or the others are nearby. I haven't told them that I've been tuning in to Kyle's emotions, they'd want to know what's happening to him, and I haven't the heart to take away that last bit of hope I can still see shining in their eyes. I don't have the courage to tell them they'll lose another friend, lover, son.

Agent Rhodes seems to deflate even more as he releases a big sigh and rubs his large hands over his eyes. "I know it probably doesn't mean anything to you now, Miss Parker, but I wanted you to know how sorry I am for how things turned out. I had no idea that my men-"

"Would turn out to be _their_ men?" I cut off, though I'm glad to hear there is no hostility in my voice now, just exhaustion. To be honest the man doesn't deserve my anger at the situation; I know that. We took a leap of faith and it didn't work out the way we wanted. It's our fault as much as his. We never should've thought that we could trust the Special Unit. "You couldn't have known, none of us could have."

"Can't you help the boy, like Max helped his sister? Can't he just wave his hand over him and make him better?"

I shake my head as my chest constricts. During the battle Isabel had been thrown into one of the supporting struts of the gym, breaking her arm. Max had healed her, as he'd tried to heal Kyle, but to no avail. "No. He tried, he's not strong enough."

"I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do, please let me know." I watch Agent Rhodes walk back out into the hallway, when a simple idea comes to me. So simple that I couldn't believe it hadn't come to me sooner.

"Agent Rhodes! Wait!" I scream as I run out into the hallway.

He turns around, surprised.

"Maybe there is something you can do."

**GRADUATION DAY 09:00 AM**

"Michael, are you okay?" I ask as I find my boyfriend sitting on my living room couch staring at a piece of paper. My parents left for the school about ten minutes ago, so they could get good seats for the ceremony while everyone got ready at the Crash.

Luckily they mistook our nervousness about what was about to unfold as excitement about graduating.

"Yeah," He says as he scratches his eyebrow. Normally I'd think that his mood would be caused by what is supposed to be going down today, but he seems to be staring at that piece of paper with a lot of focus. "This came in the mail today," He snorts as he hands it to me, "talk about bad timing."

I can feel my eyebrows shoot up into my hairline as I read his acceptance letter to NYU, stating that he had gotten a full ride for their art program. "Oh my God, Michael! This is great!" I gasp. "I am so proud of you!" I smile as I throw my arms around his shoulders.

"Yeah…yeah it's great." I frown and pull back when I hear his less than enthused tone.

"Yes it is." I say slowly, "So why don't you sound happy?"

He sighs. "It's just so far away from everyone. Izzie's in San Francisco, Kyle is going to Texas State, and you'll thousands of miles away in Paris. I don't do alone very well."

"Michael, you'll see everyone at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and you could visit during weekends. It won't be so bad, you might even make some new friends," I tease. "Besides, you won't be totally alone, since I am not going to Paris, I expect you to hold to your boyfriendly duties and come see me as often as possible."

Michael's head shoots up at my confession. "You're not going to Paris? I thought that was your first choice school, you got in didn't you?"

"Yes I did." I nod. "I got into every school I applied to, but when it came to the point of actually accepting the Paris offer I…couldn't do it. I realised that I didn't want to be away from my family for that long. Because that's what you and Izzie and Kyle are to me, and I couldn't bear the thought that I might not be there when Izzie and Kyle get engaged, or see Kyle win his first State Championship, or see you pass your first year with flying colours. So, I decided to decline to Paris and decided to go to Yale." I finish with a smile.

Michael smiles. "That's only about an hour from New York right?"

I smile too as I lean closer. "Yes it is."

"Good." He says, before kissing me.

It takes a few minutes before we speak again.

"Why not Harvard though? That's all you used to talk about."

I sigh. "Exactly, that's what everyone expected me to choose, but I don't want to just do what's expected of me anymore. So I decided to go to Yale, their science subjects are just as good as Harvard's."

"Well I'm happy you've decided not to leave the country. I kind of love you, you know." Michael says with that small little smile on his face that I've only ever seen him smile for me.

I smile widely. It's not the first time he's said he loved me, though I said it first, but he doesn't say it often. When he says it though, I can always tell he really means it, which makes it that much more special.

"Love you too." I say as I hear Kyle holler up the stairs that we need to hurry. "Come on," I say, kissing Michael's cheek before standing up. "Time to get this show on the road."

**GRADUATION DAY 10:30 AM**

We should never have come here.

That's the only thought going through my head as I look down the barrels of at least 12 guns.

"Alpha Bravo, I command you to stand down!" Agent Rhodes shouts as he stands next to us. Some of the men falter slightly, but none lower their rifles. That probably has something to do with the fact that another Agent Rhodes orders them not to lower their weapons not a second later.

I nervously look around, my eyes landing on a smirking Rath and Lonnie standing behind the wall of soldiers. Our plan didn't really go the way we expected. After the graduation ceremony we were supposed to go to the gym, where we were going to be lured anyway had we not uncovered Cal's scheme. When we got there, agent Rhodes' team was supposed to surprise Rath and Lonnie by turning on them instead. It had seemed a foul proof construct, except we hadn't counted on Cal being there.

The minute Agent Rhodes ordered his troops to arrest Rath and Lonnie, another agent Rhodes, who we knew to be Cal had appeared from behind some bleachers and told them that Rhodes was an imposter.

That's how we got to this point, with us standing with our hands raised, shooting anxious looks at each other and the soldiers of the Special Unit, and agent Rhodes desperately trying to convince his people not to shoot us.

Agent Rhodes finally seems to get through to the squadron leader and when he turns around to point his rifle at the 'other' agent Rhodes, so does the rest of his team. I never felt more relieved in my life.

The next thing I hear is Rath's outraged cry as he blasts us all to the floor. In my dazed state I hear the sound of gunfire surround us for a few seconds, before utter silence sinks in.

I get up shakily, my eyes drawn to the three bodies lying dead in front of us. Cal has returned to his original shape, blood dripping from his slightly open mouth, Lonnie's hair is covering her face and Rath is slightly obscured by the approaching men from the Special Unit, though not enough for me to realise that under that sneer and those punk clothes and the Mohawk he looks just like Michael.

Isabel's horrified cry pulls my mind away from the doom scenarios of what could have happened had they not believed us. I turn around to see Kyle lying in a pool of his own blood next to one of the pillars holding the roof up.

Time never moved slower than when we were waiting for the ambulance.

**GRADUATION DAY 07:08 PM**

"Are you sure that's going to work? I couldn't heal him earlier." Max says as he scratches his eyebrow in a very Michael-esque manner.

"Who cares?" Michael says, "If there's even a small chance to save Kyle then we should take it!"

Isabel and I nod. The healing stones would be a long shot, but they healed Michael when he was incredibly ill, and like he said; if we had a shot at saving Kyle then we needed to take it. I already sent agent Rhodes to use his influence to evacuate Kyle's operation room, now all we needed was to decide who would go and get the healing stones.

"I'll go get them." Max says quietly as we discuss it. We all look at him in surprise; Max has been the least involved with everything today. He didn't try to comfort anyone today and just now he didn't seem all that keen on using the stones to help Kyle.

"You will?" I ask surprised as Isabel flies her brother around the neck, thanking him through her tears.

He shrugs, looking at Michael and I awkwardly. For a second he reminds me of the Max Evans that used to look at me like a lovesick puppy, you know, he went crazy and tried to kill me.

"Kyle's not my friend, but he means a lot to you. You should be here in case something happens."

I nod, thanking him as I hand him the keys to dad's van, which he let me borrow to get to the hospital.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Max says before turning to Michael, "Are they still in the bottom of your wardrobe?"

Michael nods.

Max walks out of the cafeteria without looking back.

**GRADUATION DAY 07:58 AM**

"Alright, the floor's been cleared. It's just you and the boy's father now. Good luck." Agent Rhodes says as he opens the door to Kyle's operation room for us.

"Thank you, agent Rhodes." I say before following Michael, Isabel and Max into the room. I see him nod before the door shuts, sealing us in with our dying friend.

The Sherriff is standing by Kyle's head, which has a large hole in the skull from where the doctors tried to get to the bleeding. He looks even paler than his son.

I swallow down the giant lump in my throat as I see Kyle lying there so helplessly and take the healing stone that Michael hands me.

**THREE DAYS AFTER GRADUATION 12:45 AM**

It takes Michael's shout to hurry up to stop me staring at the black dress in the back of my wardrobe, the one I'd worn to Alex' funeral. I'd been convinced yesterday that I would be wearing it again this week, burying another friend. Even after we'd decided to use the healing stones I still didn't really believe that they'd work. Life with the aliens, for all its positive aspects, had also taught me that fate is a cruel bitch and she likes making us feel miserable. Aside from Max's drunken attack on me, this year had just been too good to be true, and I honestly believed that Kyle getting injured was life's way of catching up.

Sometimes I really like being wrong.

"For God's sake Liz! Kyle's pizza is getting cold and it'll take us at least ten minutes to get to the hospital. Hurry up already, it doesn't matter what you wear, you'll look gorgeous anyway!" I smile as I hear Michael shouting up the stairs.

"I'm coming!" I say as I shut my wardrobe's door.

I decide at that moment, that when I get back, I'm burning that dress.

TWO MONTHS AFTER GRADUATION 08.30 AM

"Is that the last of it?" Michael asks as he stuffs the last of my boxes into dad's van. Dad was driving up with us, so he could help us move in to our respective cities, me first, since New Haven was farther away than New York, before dropping Michael at NYU and returning home.

Kyle and Isabel had left two days ago, after a teary goodbye from us, well, from me. Michael doesn't really do crying, though he did shed a few tears after we'd saved Kyle.

"No just this last one." Max says from behind me, his face hidden by a cardboard box with a massive teddy bear on top.

During these last few months Michael and Max have tried to reconnect, with some encouragement for the rest of us. They might never be as close as they used to be, but at least their acting as brothers again.

"Thanks Max." I say as he puts the last of my boxes into the van. Since Michael and Max have tried to be civil to each other again, I've tried to at least be on friendly terms again with the boy, though if I'm honest; I have to admit that it has been difficult for me. Though I have to say that Max has made a real effort in changing his attitude towards the rest of us.

"You're welcome." He says with that little half smile that used to sweep me off of my feet a few years ago. "Hey Liz, I was wondering, could I have a word with you in private before you leave?"

I share a surprised and slightly anxious look with Michael before nodding. Though I have been spending more time with Max, it has never been alone, but there is nothing to worry about I tell myself. Michael will be just outside and my parents are upstairs.

"Sure, Max." I say, gesturing to the entrance of the Crash.

"So…what did you want to talk to me about?" I ask as I sit down on one of the barstools, my hands fidgeting with the bottom of my tank top. The Crash is closed today, on account of my leaving.

"I've really enjoyed us spending more time together again, Liz. I-I wanted to apologize for what I did to you. I know it's way too late, but I just want you to know that I am sorry, and I was hoping that maybe someday you could forgive me, and that things could go back to the way they used to be?"

I sigh. I had been fearing this conversation for a while now. I stopped being angry with Max a while ago, but that didn't mean I was ready to forgive him, or that things would ever go back to the way they used to be. I just hope I can make that clear to him without having him throw a tantrum again. He may have seemed to change over the summer, but old habits die hard.

"I accept your apology Max, but-" I rush as I see him starting to smile, "but what you did to me – I'm not sure I can ever forgive you for that – many people get drunk Max, but they don't try to kill their exes. I get that you might have been in a dark place, but what you turned into scared the hell out of me, and even if I could ever forgive you for what you did, I could never ever forget it. I'm glad you're on better terms with your brother again Max; Michael needs his family in his life, but you and I? We are not friends and even if we someday could be, things will never go back to the way things were before. I love Michael now Max, and I haven't felt that way about you in a long time."

"I know." He says softly as he looks down dejectedly. "I can see it in the way you look at him. Even when we were together you- you never looked at me that way." There is a sad smile on his face as he looks up at me. "I understand why you can't forgive me, but I'll always keep hoping that you will. That someday I'll be as much part of the family as Kyle is."

"Maybe for Michael and Isabel, Max, but I'm not sure I could ever trust you that much again." I say. Part of me feels bad for hurting his feelings now that he's trying so hard to make amends, but the other part of me still recalls the suffocating fear I felt when he showed up at the diner that fateful night.

He nods, disappointment clear on his face, which looks much older all of a sudden. "So where does that leave us? What do we do now?"

"We move on." I say after a few moments of silence. "We live our lives and see where that takes us."

"Well, goodbye for now then, I suppose." He says as he clears his throat and holds out his hand.

"Yes, I suppose so. Goodbye Max." I smile slightly as I shake his hand before walking back out to the car.

I smirk when I see Michael leaning against the side of the van, from which he can look through the glass and into where Max and I had our conversation a few seconds ago.

"You okay?" He asks me as I wrap my arms around his waist.

I smile and nod, before looking up at him. "You know, I think we will be, someday."

He smiles as well. "That's good. So are you ready for the rest of your life?" He asks me teasingly.

"You know what?" I smile. "I think I am."

**THE END**

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**So, that is it for now. I'd like to apologize for the long wait on this last chapter, but I hope it was worth it. I would like to thank all those loyal readers that have made it fun to write this and as this is the final chapter (for now), I would love it if you could leave a review!**


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